“Remember that children learn by example. If you are preaching inclusivity while benefiting from a system that oppresses others, what are you really showing your children? Talking to your children about racism shouldn’t be a one time thing, it should be a continued, open conversation in which you both honestly evaluate your actions and beliefs.”
While we watch the news and talk to our friends and relatives about police brutality, racism and protests, children are listening. Children’s developing, inquisitive minds that seek to relate and understand are forming their own ideas based off of what they hear on TV, what they hear their parents say, and how they see their parents act. Often what they are absorbing now is not processed on a conscious level but ingrained in their minds, which is why its imperative that these conversations are had to steer their minds in a positive way. While the topic of race is uncomfortable, don’t be the parent who avoids the topic of race because you’re not sure how to handle it. It’s okay to be uncomfortable right now, because that discomfort brings change.
Equip your child with the tools they need to grow up and be an adult who stands up against and actively fights racism. Raise a child who will be a mediator, a peacemaker. Raise a child who makes a safe space for everyone.
Remember that children learn by example. If you are preaching inclusivity while benefiting from a system that oppresses others, what are you really showing your children? Talking to your children about racism shouldn’t be a one time thing, it should be a continued, open conversation in which you both honestly evaluate your actions and beliefs. While this is a time of pain, anger, and injustice, it is also an opportunity for growth, inclusion and coming together.