Educating Your Kids about Racial Differences and Acceptance

The Race to Acceptance

“A guide to educating your children about racial differences and inculcating the virtue of acceptance."

Parents often feel uncomfortable in discussing matters about race with their children, but not acknowledging it in an open conversation can cause more harm.

During their pre-school years, children develop the cognitive ability to put cultural and racial differences into perspective. This makes it the optimum time for parents to shape and mould their child's attitude towards diversity. The most beautiful part about educating the child at a young age is that kids are pure with a natural sense of justice and fairness. Nobody is born a racist; hence it is of paramount importance to ensure a child does not get influenced negatively. Children are innately good at heart and soul, and all parents need to do is nurture this natural love for all people and ensure it is embedded in the child's moral code.

Dr. Erin Winkler, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, says children learn to categorize shapes, moods, colors, and people. In cases where parents practice denial or state that racism is a thing of the past and that today we are all equal, children begin to fill the gaps themselves. This becomes problematic as children might draw factually incorrect conclusions which may lead to intolerance.

Children must be aware of the demerits of racial differences. Moral values should be taught in children since childhood. And in this drive, even several admission counseling services are educating students about racial differences and acceptance.

Many parents feel that not educating their children about race would enable them to see one another as more equal. This "colorblind" technique is counterproductive as it facilitates the perception that it is not okay to talk about racial differences. Children brought up in such environments are less adaptable to diverse cultures and do not learn to respect varied racial traditions simply because they were taught not to acknowledge it. Thus, instead of practicing denial, it's more pragmatic to normalize the narrative that racial differences exist and there's nothing wrong about it.

"It's not about whose perspective is right or wrong, and it's about acknowledging there are perspectives other than your own and making an effort to learn about them."

-Lythcott-Haims

Hence, we can conclude that educating children about racial differences is essential to combat stigma, break perceptive stereotypes and clarify misunderstandings that exist in the status quo. Respect for all races and accepting people from diverse backgrounds is the social integration we must thrive for. 

Curiosity is a crucial parameter involving discussions with children. Parents should not discourage questions or shy away from providing clarifications. It needs to be understood that the child is susceptible to look for alternate unreliable sources to get information and maybe even form an opinion based on their assumptions and limited exposure. Contrary to popular belief, its always advisable to discuss taboo topics openly rather than have a child develop their interpretation, which in most cases is xenophobic.

Parents need to educate their children to be "respectfully curious", i.e. to not infringe upon some child's privacy to satisfy one's curiosity. This habit can only be garnered through systematic guidance and frequent open conversations. When the choice is between tutoring your child yourself versus letting some potentially unreliable resources do it, the answer is crystal clear.

Young children often have a strong sense of fairness. It is effortless to persuade them on the grounds of reparations to all the injustice done. That's why its key to talk and discuss racial differences and scenarios as they played out in history and draw critical lessons of what not to do keeping in mind that in this unfair world, humans continuously do fight for change. And that fight can be one if each and everyone is aware and educated and contributes to being more acceptable, respectable, and socially integrated.

On a larger scale, acceptance as a virtue can be extended to various facets of human life, such as gender, socioeconomic levels, disabilities, and religion. Acceptance becomes quintessential as it is of prime importance in being a global citizen and garnering respect and love from one's peers.

Children learn quite a lot through behavioral patterns and observations. The most clinical part about educating your children about racial differences is portraying acceptance in your actions. Kids are most likely to have the same subconscious impulses that their parents display while interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. Hence parents should always be respectful, compassionate, and accepting.

In a nutshell, parents need to be pragmatic in educating their children about acceptance. The message needs to be that differences exist, but no difference is prominent enough to match up to the larger narrative of humanity. Acceptance is found when one realizes that no matter how diverse people are, they all need love, friendship, and mutual respect.