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Color-Blindness
Teaching Children to Celebrate Diversity
By Lisa Lansman
This is important, since one-third of Americans admit to having some racist feelings, according to an ABC News/Lifetime Television poll conducted in 1999. Martin Luther King's dream of eliminating racism in America has yet to become reality.
Unfortunately, racism is not the only form of prejudice. People discriminate because of age, gender, skin color, sexual orientation and even because of weight. And this has many parents wondering how to raise their children to accept all the diversity that exists in the average American city.
Teaching children tolerance for others doesn't have to be difficult, according to one parent. One simple piece of advice to follow is "The Golden Rule," which provides good all-around guidance, says Julie Stone, of Des Moines, Iowa, mother of two girls, ages 10 and 14.
"I encourage my kids to treat all people with respect using the old Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," Stone says. "Usually I ask them to stop and think about how they would feel if the situation was reversed.
"I want my girls to be very open and accepting of anyone they may meet," she adds. That means teaching her kids tolerance for all kinds of people – no matter what their differences may be.
- Examine your attitudes and the way you feel about people with traits and characteristics different from your own. If you want your child to be free of prejudice, you need to demonstrate that attitude in your words and deeds.
