I remember when I was 7 years old and I was at a public pool and a few girls came to the pool with their families. I was excited because up until that point I only had my brother to play with. I went over to play with them and they told me they would not play with me because I was a different color than they were. My mom overheard them and asked me to come over to her chair and she said loud and in front of them, honey don't worry about that because when those little blonde, blue eyed, fair skinned little girls are in middle and high school they will be frying themselves in a tanning bed to look just like you. My mom has blond hair and green eyes and my dad is spanish with dark hair and dark eyes and tan beautiful skin. I did not understand it fully then but it made me feel better because those other parents felt weird and my mom and I just kept laughing and having fun. To this day mom and I now just about to attend college in the Fall will laugh when my friends tell us they are going to the tanning bed or say Alexis you are so lucky your skin is so pretty you don't have to wear make up or anything. I say yeah that's what my mom has told me since I was young in elementary school. We give each other a high five and say yep that's the way it goes.