Single mom’s book for kids talks different skin tones in U.S. families
Freshauna Goodman had taken her 1-year-old son, Daniel, to the park to play on a sunny afternoon. As they were leaving, an older woman loudly said, “Wow! Look at your skin and look at his.”
This blunt exclamation stopped Goodman short. She did not need a stranger to point out that her son’s skin was lighter than hers.
“This distasteful statement could have made me angry and shameful,” Goodman says. But instead of accepting those feelings, Goodman sat down at her mother’s kitchen table one morning and wrote a book about it. She called it, “Yes, I’m Sure She’s My Mom.”
Goodman, a 28-yearold single mother who was born in Detroit, is raising her son, Daniel Watts, now 2, in Warren. With this booklet, she tackles the common but often unspoken subject of skin tone variations within families.
“From the date of my son’s birth we have had countless experiences pertaining to our differences in skin color,” Goodman says. She says that’s why it was important for her as her son’s primary educator to write this story.
“As his teacher, I want my son to be able to fearlessly appreciate and celebrate who he is as he grows and understands this is a sensitive topic,” Goodman says. She self-published her booklet as an educational keepsake for Daniel and other children in similar situations. Her intended audience is biracial children, transracial adoptees, albino children, kids in foster care and diverse children in general. Goodman felt compelled to write, knowing she could reach many chil
dren and their families by writing about a subject that few children’s books address.
“I want every child that has a different skin color than his/her parent or family member to feel comforted and empowered after reading my book,” Goodman says. “I want parents to feel excited that their child is reading a book that they can identify with, knowing it will make that child feel wonderful about who they are.”
Goodman plans a virtual book tour, using social media platforms. People interested in buying her book can direct message her on the Freshauna Watts Facebook page (facebook.com/fre shauna.watts.7) or Instagram to @yesimsuresh esmymom.
She also plans discussions on her Facebook and Instragram Live pages. On Sept. 27, she will host California-based Inez Bayardo (@inezbayardo) on Instagram Live. Bayardo is a mom, children’s pastor and anti-racism advocate who helps mothers gain tools and education to raise children to be antiracist world changers.