Babysitter Was Fired After Telling Her Client's Children That Wearing Native American Costumes For Halloween Was 'Inappropriate'
Someone else's culture isn't a Halloween costume.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock Children tend to perceive life through a lens of innocence and curiosity. It's why they are able to find joy in the small things that seem mundane to the rest of us, long since jaded by life. However, it also means that they don't have an awareness of what adults consider controversial or inappropriate. And it's up to us to educate them.
Such was the case for a babysitter named Lyric, who admitted on TikTok that she upset the parents of the children she was looking after because she attempted to educate the kids about cultural appropriation.
She was fired after telling the children she babysat that wearing Native American costumes is 'inappropriate.'
In Lyric's TikTok video, she explained that she'd just gotten a text from the parents of the children she babysits for, asking if she told the young boys that it was inappropriate for them to wear a Native American headdress. Shocked by the parents' message, Lyric responded, confirming she did.
"They were just showing me their Halloween costumes and they were like, 'Do you like this one?' and I was like, 'No, not really,'" Lyric recalled. She explained that the boys watch a lot of media consisting of Davy Crockett — whose problematic attitude toward Native Americans has been called into question many times by historians and activists — with their parents.
When she told the kids she didn't think their Halloween costumes were appropriate, they predictably asked her why.
"For some reason, I was just honest," Lyric admitted, explaining to the kids that it isn't right for someone of a different culture to appropriate and wear a significant cultural symbol like a Native American headdress as a costume.
She even provided an example, telling the young boys that if someone were to wear her Nigerian garb as a Halloween costume, it would be extremely offensive to her culture.
There is such significance and rich history when it comes to Native Americans. People wearing their culture as Halloween costumes diminish and erase the years of Native oppression that still exist to this day. It reduces their diverse culture to mere forms of amusement and entertainment.
Of course, a child isn't going to inherently know that, which is why it's an adult's job to teach them that appropriating cultures for costumes or trivializing the experiences of marginalized communities is both harmful and unacceptable.
The children's parents tried to argue that they were descended from Native Americans.
To excuse their children's desire to wear the Native American headdress, Lyric said the mother replied to her message claiming that both her parents and her husband's parents are Native American.
"So, if [the kids] want to wear their Native American headdresses, then they should be very, very proud," the mom wrote.
Whether or not the mom was telling the truth regarding her parentage, Lyric pointed out that showing children media about men who actively oppressed and abused the Native Americans for years probably isn't the best way to learn about the history and culture.
Unfortunately, Lyric's well-intentioned history lessons for the children she babysat ended with her getting fired.
At the end of the day, if those children were actually descended from Native Americans, then their parents should've appreciated and been open to expanding their understanding of their heritage and culture. Instead, they chose to remain ignorant and missed an opportunity for their children to develop a sense of respect for the melting pot of diversity that exists all around them.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.