interracial dating |
There were almost 2.5 million interracial married couples in America as of 2010. This is a clear sign that love doesn't care about one's race - and there's an even more growing trend of marriages between people of different races and cultures.
However, interracial dating doesn't come without certain problems and pitfalls. The first and perhaps the most serious one is the clashing values. When you come from different backgrounds and have different upbringings, you have different expectations of how relationships and families work. Some of these differences can be even more accented, if you decide to have children. The way to ensure that these problems don’t mean the end of your relationship is simply by communicating with your partners. Interracial relationships - and relationships in general - are all about understanding the other person and making compromises.
Families could, in fact, create quite some issues for interracial couples. Some parents simply cannot accept that your partner is from a different race of cultural background. The key here is to be emotionally independent - as an individual and as a couple. Most families would be at least quietly tolerant of their son’s or daughter’s interracial relationship, but even if they aren’t, remember: you’re in a relationship with the person you love, not your family.
Another major problem most interracial couples face are stereotypes. In truth, there is some basis to every stereotype, but they are, after all, generalized statements that do not and cannot apply to every single person who falls under a particular stereotype. Do not discount the power of stereotypes, if you’re in an interracial relationship - accept it and don’t make it turn into a problem that could mean your relationship’s demise. One thing most interracial couples eventually realize is that you can’t force anyone to accept you and your partner, but what you can do is never buy into any disparaging comments, made about your partner or relationship.