8 Blessings & Burdens of Growing Up Black (Black Love) 


Growing up black was a blessing, but there were facets of how we grew up that could also be a burden. In this episode I discuss the strengths, weaknesses, blessings and burdens that come with growing up in a black family. Whether you’re here to learn about what it was like growing up black, here to learn more about your black friends, or wanted a message to resonate with, this episode dives into my experience as a black person growing up in America.



I noticed that a lot of the blessings and burdens are indicative of our black community. The reason I wanted to showcase these things is because I feel that they are strengths that our community can glean from, however sometimes they can also be weaknesses. Here are the 8 blessings that can also be burdens.


Being Independent


Growing up black, I think one of the greatest things that I learned was independence. Being independent taught me never to rely on other people for my success. It's taught me how to get stuff done on my own. It taught me that I can do more than I realized. Being black you realize you have to do things by yourself. I was a latchkey kid. This taught me a lot about independence. However, on the flip side of that coin, independence can make us reject the support from others. There's this strong sense of pride in our we have, which is great, but sometimes the burden of it is that it can make us so independent that we don't know how to get along with others.


Show Some Respect


The second blessing that I learned growing up black is respect. Now I have a very high version of respect for others. This also caused me to have a very high appreciation for authority. Growing up as a black kid, you didn't call grown ups by their first name; you addressed them by Mrs, Ms., or Mr. (insert last name). Growing up black, there was such a level of respect in our community. On the flip side, it can become a burden. When you don't develop the greatest relationships with your children, because you’re hyper-focused on respect, it turns more into “Yes ma’am, no sir.” vs “Hey Mom, hey Daddy.”


Discipline Your Kids


Number three of growing up black taught me discipline. I learned how to be a disciplined person. On Saturday mornings, my mother would wake us up with her loud gospel music and that was our cleanup day. She didn't care that we were out of school that day and we wanted to relax, this was chore day! That taught me that you need to get stuff done. You don't just lay around and not participate in the community you live in. We're a part of a community, our little family. The burden is that sometimes we can be too disciplined, too rigid, and too stoic in our beliefs and our behaviors. 


Growing Up Black Takes Strength


We learned strength growing up black. We learned how to be strong and tough. Not only physically strong, but also emotionally strong. It taught us how to not let life tear you down. Black folks were going through some difficult times. You couldn’t let the happenings in society tear you down because you would be completely weak. On the flip side of that, sometimes that strength can make you too hard and unemotional. That takes a lot of work to undo.


Resiliency Makes Us Strong


Number five is my favorite thing to talk about. Resiliency is similar to strength, but resiliency is really having the ability to bounce back after getting knocked down. When I was young, I watched my mom go through all sorts of craziness in her life. She just kept getting back up even though she might get knocked down again. Nothing, it seemed, could keep her down. I learned that for myself as well. Unfortunately resiliency can sometimes make you stay in unhealthy or toxic relationships or friendships. It can cause you to not want to ever give up on things, even though “giving up” may be the best, healthiest thing for you. 


You Have To Be Resourceful


My mom always knew how to make something from nothing. Growing up black, we learned all you need is a little to make something work. Learning how to be resourceful allowed me to use what I had at the time. It taught me creativity on a whole other level. This, however, can become a burden, because resourcefulness can breed a scarcity mentality. If you're always thinking you don’t need a whole lot, then you won’t expect what you actually deserve. This scarcity mentality can ruin relationships, so be aware of that. 


Family Matters


What a blessing to have the rich legacy that black families provide. Family always came first. For the most part, black culture has a very family-centric focus. Having a close knit-family brought so much fun and laughter into my life. Cousins and family abounded everywhere. However, having a close family culture can also cause some burdens. Sometimes our families can meddle a little too much in our business. Because the family ties are so close, people will be up in your business who don’t need to be. It’s so important to learn how to set boundaries because of this.


Spirituality and Faith in the Black Community 


Finally, the biggest blessing of growing up black is spirituality and faith. There is a super strong sense of faith and God in the black community. Prayer, faith and spirituality are so interwoven in the fabric of the black family. Not every black person is or was a Christian, but all the black people I knew honored God on some level. Church was a mainstay in many black families. On the flip side, this expectation of “godliness’ can breed hypocrisy, making people be outwardly religious, but inwardly “rachet.” 



As I’ve mentioned in the episode, growing up black isn’t superior to any other way of growing up. And, certainly, many of these lessons were experienced by other ethnicities and cultures as well. From my upbringing, being raised black, I have learned that what might seem like a burden can also be a blessing depending on the lens you’re looking from.  


Links Mentioned in this Episode


Real Relationship Talk

Get Your Free 7 Secrets to a Healthy Marriage!

Black Marriage in America



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8 Blessings & Burdens of Growing Up Black (Black Love) 
Growing up black was a blessing, but there were facets of how we grew up that could also be a burden. In this episode I discuss the strengths, weaknesses, blessings and burdens that come with growing up in a black family. Whether you’re here to learn about what it was like growing up black, here to learn more about your black friends, or wanted a message to resonate with, this episode dives into my experience as a black person growing up in America.
 
I noticed that a lot of the blessings and burdens are indicative of our black community. The reason I wanted to showcase these things is because I feel that they are strengths that our community can glean from, however sometimes they can also be weaknesses. Here are the 8 blessings that can also be burdens.
 
Being Independent
Growing up black, I think one of the greatest things that I learned was independence. Being independent taught me never to rely on other people for my success. It's taught me how to get stuff done on my own. It taught me that I can do more than I realized. Being black you realize you have to do things by yourself. I was a latchkey kid. This taught me a lot about independence. However, on the flip side of that coin, independence can make us reject the support from others. There's this strong sense of pride in our we have, which is great, but sometimes the burden of it is that it can make us so independent that we don't know how to get along with others.
 
Show Some Respect
The second blessing that I learned growing up black is respect. Now I have a very high version of respect for others. This also caused me to have a very high appreciation for authority. Growing up as a black kid, you didn't call grown ups by their first name; you addressed them by Mrs, Ms., or Mr. (insert last name). Growing up black, there was such a level of respect in our community. On the flip side, it can become a burden. When you don't develop the greatest relationships with your children, because you’re hyper-focused on respect, it turns more into “Yes ma’am, no sir.” vs “Hey Mom, hey Daddy.”
 
Discipline Your Kids
Number three of growing up black taught me discipline. I learned how to be a disciplined person. On Saturday mornings, my mother would wake us up with her loud gospel music and that was our cleanup day. She didn't care that we were out of school that day and we wanted to relax, this was chore day! That taught me that you need to get stuff done. You don't just lay around and not participate in the community you live in. We're a part of a community, our little family. The burden is that sometimes we can be too disciplined, too rigid, and too stoic in our beliefs and our behaviors. 
 
Growing Up Black Takes Strength
We learned strength growing up black. We learned how to be strong and tough. Not only physically strong, but also emotionally strong. It taught us how to not let life tear you down. Black folks were going through some difficult times. You couldn’t let the happenings in society tear you down because you would be completely weak. On the flip side of that, sometimes that strength can make you too hard and unemotional. That takes a lot of work to undo.
 
Resiliency Makes Us Strong
Number five is my favorite thing to talk about. Resiliency is similar to strength, but resiliency is really having the ability to bounce back after getting knocked down. When I was young, I watched my mom go through all sorts of craziness in her life. She just kept getting back up even though she might get knocked down again. Nothing, it seemed, could keep her down. I learned that for myself as well. Unfortunately resiliency can sometimes make you stay in unhealthy or toxic relationships or friendships. It can cause you to not want to ever give up on things, even though “giving up” may be the best, healthiest thing for you. 
 
You Have To Be Resourceful
My mom always knew how to make something from nothing. Growing up black, we learned all you need is a little to make something work. Learning how to be resourceful allowed me to use what I had at the time. It taught me creativity on a whole other level. This, however, can become a burden, because resourcefulness can breed a scarcity mentality. If you're always thinking you don’t need a whole lot, then you won’t expect what you actually deserve. This scarcity mentality can ruin relationships, so be aware of that. 
 
Family Matters
What a blessing to have the rich legacy that black families provide. Family always came first. For the most part, black culture has a very family-centric focus. Having a close knit-family brought so much fun and laughter into my life. Cousins and family abounded everywhere. However, having a close family culture can also cause some burdens. Sometimes our families can meddle a little too much in our business. Because the family ties are so close, people will be up in your business who don’t need to be. It’s so important to learn how to set boundaries because of this.
 
Spirituality and Faith in the Black Community 
Finally, the biggest blessing of growing up black is spirituality and faith. There is a super strong sense of faith and God in the black community. Prayer, faith and spirituality are so interwoven in the fabric of the black family. Not every black person is or was a Christian, but all the black people I knew honored God on some level. Church was a mainstay in many black families. On the flip side, this expectation of “godliness’ can breed hypocrisy, making people be outwardly religious, but inwardly “rachet.” 
 
As I’ve mentioned in the episode, growing up black isn’t superior to any other way of growing up. And, certainly, many of these lessons were experienced by other ethnicities and cultures as well. From my upbringing, being raised black, I have learned that what might seem like a burden can also be a blessing depending on the lens you’re looking from.  
 
Links Mentioned in this Episode
<a href='https://realrelationshiptalk.com/'>Real Relationship Talk</a>
<a href='http://danache.com/7secrets'>Get Your Free 7 Secrets to a Healthy Marriage!</a>
<a href='https://www.essence.com/news/black-history-month-black-marriage-in-america/'>Black Marriage in America</a> 
 
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Welcome to "Rebuilding Us,” a marriage podcast helping to restore intimacy and renew hope in your relationship. Join marriage coach Dana Che on an episodic adventure and explore the transformative journey of rebuilding trust, commitment, and connection by reigniting love through faith-based principles.

Each episode offers effective relationship strategies, heartfelt stories, and uplifting messages of hope, aimed at inspiring couples to cultivate lasting joy, intimacy, and fulfillment in their marriage. No Christian clichés over here! Dana's tell-it-like-it-is yet warm humor will endear you to come back every single week.

The first letter in "us" is "u," so "rebuilding us" is also about rebuilding u (you). Whether you're seeking reconciliation, restoration, or simply looking to enrich your relationship, 'Rebuilding Us' is here to support you on your journey to a thriving and resilient marriage grounded in grace and godly guidance."

Let the rebuild begin!

New episodes drop every Tuesday & Friday. Subscribe today so you don't miss a single one!

Welcome to "Rebuilding Us,” a marriage podcast helping to restore intimacy and renew hope in your relationship. Join marriage coach Dana Che on an episodic adventure and explore the transformative journey of rebuilding trust, commitment, and connection by reigniting love through faith-based principles.
Each episode offers effective relationship strategies, heartfelt stories, and uplifting messages of hope, aimed at inspiring couples to cultivate lasting joy, intimacy, and fulfillment in their marriage. No Christian clichés over here! Dana's tell-it-like-it-is yet warm humor will endear you to come back every single week.
The first letter in "us" is "u," so "rebuilding us" is also about rebuilding u (you). Whether you're seeking reconciliation, restoration, or simply looking to enrich your relationship, 'Rebuilding Us' is here to support you on your journey to a thriving and resilient marriage grounded in grace and godly guidance."
Let the rebuild begin!
New episodes drop every Tuesday &amp; Friday. Subscribe today so you don't miss a single one!

Get the blueprint to improve your marriage and overcome hurt, rediscover intimacy, and deepen your connection. Communication problems got you down? "Rebuilding Us" gives you the valuable tools and encouragement to restore trust, learn from conflict, and navigate the ups and downs of marriage with grace and resilience.

Rebuilding Us: Marriage Podcast

A podcast for married people to build and rebuild trust, intimacy, and connection in your relationship. Heal your past and find hope for your future as you glean relevant, effective relationship advice and tools from marriage coach Dana Che and her guests. These episodic adventures explore the transformative journey of what it takes to have a happy and healthy marriage, reigniting love through faith-based principles. 

Each episode offers effective relationship strategies, heartfelt stories, and uplifting messages of hope, aimed at inspiring couples to cultivate lasting joy, intimacy, and fulfillment in their marriage. No Christian clichés over here! Dana's tell-it-like-it-is yet warm humor will endear you to come back every single week.

The first letter in "us" is "u," so "rebuilding us" is also about rebuilding u (you). Whether you're seeking reconciliation, restoration, or simply looking to enrich your relationship, 'Rebuilding Us' is here to support you on your journey to a thriving and resilient marriage grounded in grace and godly guidance."

Let the rebuild begin!

New episodes drop every Tuesday & Friday. Subscribe today so you don't miss a single one!

A podcast for married people to build and rebuild trust, intimacy, and connection in your relationship. Heal your past and find hope for your future as you glean relevant, effective relationship advice and tools from marriage coach Dana Che and her guests. These episodic adventures explore the transformative journey of what it takes to have a happy and healthy marriage, reigniting love through faith-based principles. 
Each episode offers effective relationship strategies, heartfelt stories, and uplifting messages of hope, aimed at inspiring couples to cultivate lasting joy, intimacy, and fulfillment in their marriage. No Christian clichés over here! Dana's tell-it-like-it-is yet warm humor will endear you to come back every single week.
The first letter in "us" is "u," so "rebuilding us" is also about rebuilding u (you). Whether you're seeking reconciliation, restoration, or simply looking to enrich your relationship, 'Rebuilding Us' is here to support you on your journey to a thriving and resilient marriage grounded in grace and godly guidance."
Let the rebuild begin!
New episodes drop every Tuesday &amp; Friday. Subscribe today so you don't miss a single one!

8 Blessings & Burdens of Growing Up Black (Black Love) 
Growing up black was a blessing, but there were facets of how we grew up that could also be a burden. In this episode I discuss the strengths, weaknesses, blessings and burdens that come with gr...

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