In their fourth episode, co-hosts and interracial adoptive siblings, Greg and Hannah divert from their typical format of listener submitted topics and questions to address comments made recently (4-26-24) by, UFC 303 Headliner and transracially adoptive father, Michael Chandler on The Shawn Ryan Show.

When asked about how Chandler approaches raising his two, Black adopted sons, he said, "I'm not raising black children, I'm raising children. Whether you are black or you are white, no matter what race that you are,.. Being a good man, a good man of reputation, none of that has to do with skin color. Everything has to do with the character of the man. Probably not an answer that some people would say is important but that's where the world has gone. Where we think that the most important thing about us is our skin color or our gender or our political affiliation."

After hearing this quote and watching the entire interview, Hannah and Greg, were struck by Chandler's racial colorblindness, and wanted to take the necessary time to center the impacts of racial colorblindness on Black adoptees and their experiences.

After reflecting on the release of their debut episode, Hannah and Greg struggle with being too critical. Greg identifies, at times, how he has been dismissive and insensitive about hard conversations, and Hannah calls him in about his self-identified conflict avoidance during their conversations. As they find resolution, they practice embracing a growth mindset about their mistakes, even and especially when they feel shame for messing up. Ultimately, they are asking themselves and their listeners, what role does growth mindset play in acknowledging our varied levels of privilege? And how can growth mindset help us build and maintain more "real" connections?

In this episode, Hannah and Greg talk sibling birth order, including but not limited to middle child syndrome, attention seeking, and dealing with jealousy. Greg, in true middle child fashion, tries his best to shift focus away from himself, while naturally, the youngest, Hannah gladly takes the spotlight and deep dives into dating and rejection as a Black girl in a predominantly white town. Additionally, a super special guest, the last of the fake siblings, our older brother, Tyler Jackson, chimes in!

Works Referenced:

The Birth Order Book: Why You Are The Way You Are by Dr. Kevin Leman

Birth order characteristics from betterhelp.com article "Birth Order Theory: Insights Into Your Personality"

Consider following us on social media @fakesiblingspod. Thanks for listening!