I write about the topics of tolerance and cultural diversity for a number of different sources and just recently, in research for an article, I came across a list of questions (www.tolerance.org) to ask oneself as a parent that can aid us in discovering some of our own prejudices or fears. When, as parents, we become more aware of what we believe, we can decide if these beliefs are what we want to teach to our children. Children learn best from modeling their parents’ behaviors and if we are holding onto harmful attitudes or beliefs, we can inadvertently pass those attitudes or beliefs onto our children & they can manifest in negative behaviors as children get older.
Explore your experiences with and attitudes about difference by asking yourself these questions.
- The first time I became aware of differences was when …
- As I was growing up, my parent(s) taught me that people who were different from us were…
- As I was growing up, my parent(s) taught me that people who were like us were …
- A time I was mistreated because of my own difference was when …
- A time I mistreated someone for being different was when …
- I feel most comfortable when I am around people who …
- I feel least comfortable when I am around people who …
- The memories I have of differences affect my parenting by …
As human beings, we all have prejudices; that is inevitable. Our main goal as parents should be to discover what they are, address them and help our children to understand that being different is just that, different - no better or no worse than anyone else.
