Thinking back, there really was no reason to be ashamed of
an observation a 3-year-old made, and I regret not seizing the
opportunity to discuss differences and celebrate diversity. It’s
important to encourage our children to “see” color, rather than
simply telling kids we are all the same. Differences are not the
problem. It’s our reaction and tolerance to them that are.
Model equity. When it comes to teaching equality, actions speak
louder than words. Be careful not to promote stereotypical roles.
We can easily tell our girls to be just as strong as our boys, but
when we reserve certain games, tasks and sports as something only
girls can do or something boys can do, what message are sending
our kids? Sometimes stereotypes are so deeply ingrained that we
need to be very conscious about what we are saying through our
actions.
Read books. Sometimes, the best and easiest way to educate our
children is through books. Ignorance and racism run a fuzzy line.
A child who knows about the racial history of the Confederate
flag, for instance, will be less likely to brandish a symbol out
of ignorance. CNBC provides a great list of books, as does The
Conscious Kid and American Indians in Children’s Literature.
These books showcase anti-racist efforts and talk about how race
intersects with other issues.
Enforce the golden rule. Sometimes the best lessons to teach
our kids are the obvious ones. It’s important to ingrain basic truths
in our children through repetition. Start by asking your child,
“Would you want someone to discriminate or judge you based on
what you looked like?” When we teach our kids empathy by doing
unto others as we would have them do unto us, we underscore the
most basic commonality: we all have feelings, we all deserve to be
treated with dignity, and we are all created equal.
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