Children are the most curious beings, and they have many questions to ask. One of those questions is quite often: Why do I look different than other kids?

If My Mommy and Daddy Don’t Match, What Am I? addresses the issue of interracial relationships and society feeling the need to place everyone in categories based on skin color. We need to learn that many children and adults struggle with their identity as they grow up, but this shouldn't define who we are as human beings.

About the Author

J. L. McCluskey was born and raised in Farmington, WV. She graduated from West Virginia University in 1995 with a B.S. in Speech Pathology & Audiology. She moved to Kansas in 1998. She obtained her Master's in Teaching and Literacy from Avila University in 2010 and a Master's in Christian Counseling from Faith Bible College in 2008. She has been an educator for 18 years.

Though her family has many interracial marriages, growing up J. L. was not aware of the identify struggle most of her biracial relatives faced. She got married in 2011, and two years later, they were blessed with a daughter. It is through her questions and observations that J. L. began the quest to let her know, and continue to remind her if she ever forgets, that she is more than a skin color.