Why the Race Conversation Is So Important
Kids notice.
I replied, “Is that so?”
(my default response when I don’t know how to respond and am waiting for context).
(I missed a really good teaching moment there.)
More recently she’s been complaining: “People keep asking me ‘Are you Chinese?’
Why are they all asking me if I’m Chinese?!!”
I’ve been thinking about this for a while but haven’t known where to start.
Like smog, stereotypical messages aren’t always apparent, but we’re all breathing it in.
What should we say if we learn our child has used racial slurs or experienced racial bias?
They pick up on the social cues around them.)
How can we raise compassionate and confident children?
By the fourth grade, children’s racial attitudes start to grow more rigid.
Our guidance is especially crucial during this impressionable, turbulent time.
Do not scold your child for being curious.
I was mortified but knew it was an opportunity to teach him something very important.
I quickly responded, “Yes, aren’t her eyes beautiful?
She is such a pretty little girl.”
This has also happened to me with someone that was overweight, bald and elderly.
Parents need to seize these moments and educate their child instead of laughing or punishing their child.
Always meet the child where they are first.
Joseph Shrand, psychiatrist and Medical Director of CASTLE in Brockton, MA.
Keep your child’s developmental readiness in mind too.
And so my son knows his value and his worth.
He knows he deserves respect.
He’s made a conscious choice not to live in constant fear.
From getting stopped at the grocery and asked, “Is he yours?
“, I’ve heard many things over the past 6 years.
Mommy is Latina and daddy American.
How cool that you get to experience different cultures, languages, food and more?
Explain to your child that Uncle Timmy has a view of people that you do not share.
All people are valuable and worthy of respect.
Liking something and respecting something are two different things.
Whatever you do, have those conversations, though, as awkward and uncomfortable as they might be.
Photos byLorelyn Medina(Shutterstock),Cindy Hughes(Shutterstock),jamieskinner00,woodleywonderworks,jacquesy_m
