Four Things Each Partner Should Know About Interracial Dating Posted by Admin

When you’re dating someone of a different race, you end up dating the things, people and events that took a part in molding them. This includes their race and culture.

Though dating a race different than your own may come with added challenges, an open heart and wide eyes are going to help you face any challenge together and come through the other side much stronger.

Even if you’ve been dating for a few weeks or a couple months, there are a few things you’ll learn.

Your Interracial Relationships Needs a Rock Solid Foundation

Naysayers, family opinions and the pressures of society are going to make themselves known, and your relationship has to be tight enough that these things don’t put a wedge between you.

Talk through things as a team, so that you feel you are in it together. This creates the feeling that you can handle whatever is thrown your way from the outside world together as a couple.

Having a strong connection with no trust issues helps you give each other the benefit of the doubt when one of you says something that may be culturally insensitive. You can talk about the remark, learn from it and move on without wondering about your partner’s motivations or any resentment building up.

Get Ready to Talk About Race a Lot… So Get Comfortable with It

The biggest thing to remember is that silence is the real enemy. The same way you’d ask your significant other about their feelings on pizza toppings, having kids or where to live, you should understand how they approach racial issues.

When getting to know a new partner, one way to begin is to include questions asking whether they’re friend circle is diverse or if they went to a diverse school. Asking if they’ve ever dated outside of their race and how their family reacted is another good question.

Don’t Use Your Partner’s Race to Make Assumptions about Them

This may seem obvious to some people, but it’s worth noting because every single person holds stereotypes, no matter how enlightened we believe we are.

Racial groups are not homogenous. Some Latinas support DACA and others don’t. Some African Americans support Black Lives Matter and some do not. Don’t assume you know how they feel about anything. You don’t have to agree about everything, but you should know where each other stand on an issue and try to see things from the other’s perspective.

Knowing Others in Interracial Relationships is Helpful

Will your partner support you when if you face racism? Will they be able to understand your experience as an immigrant? It’s easy to let unfounded fears get to you.

Finding other interracial couples in loving and respectful relationships, whether through your social circle, social networking or YouTube videos provide emotional support. Seeing how much they’ve had to work for their relationship and the resulting happiness will help you understand that you both can do the same.

Only seeing differences can rip anyone apart. Understanding each other and how your experiences have both made you who you are will bring you together.