Teaching tolerance to our kids
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| Mon, 12-27-2010 - 4:06pm |
The discussion in the other thread about gay marriage (OK, it wasn’t so much a discussion as an attack on granitestategal, plus the last time I checked it had devolved into mumbling and maniacal laughter...time to move on!) got me to thinking about this new generation of kids and how things have changed for them. Technology has exploded, and kids are more connected than ever before. They’re also disconnected in a whole new way, but this thread isn’t about that. I’d like to know what we are teaching our kids as far as tolerance for other religions, races and lifestyles.
My parents were brought up by parents who were extremely prejudiced against non-Catholics and non-whites. My great-grandparents must not have passed along the lessons they’d learned as immigrants themselves. The town we lived in was predominantly white and Catholic, and up until high school I didn’t know anyone who was black, Jewish, Hispanic, or gay*. When I moved away from home, I was blown away by how different people outside my little world really were, and fascinated by it. I was, and am, determined to raise my kids to respect and appreciate the differences of others and to understand that deep down we really aren’t that different.
A few years ago when DS was 4, we ran into the husband of a co-worker at a music festival. My co-worker is also male. I probably went overboard in my introduction, but I wanted to get the point across that it’s perfectly OK for some families to consist of 2 dads or 2 moms, or one parent, or parents of different races/religions.


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She has absolutely NO interest in my fb account. As soon as she gets online, she switches it to hers.
Then you say you have no problem with your underage DD being on FB.
It's like saying, "The red light district in our town is terrible. Hookers on every corner, junkies shooting up all around, a murder or two every night. Oh...DD and I go down there all the time to eat at this great restaurant."
It just doesn't make any sense.
Honestly....my 12 year old is not in a lot of situations where he would see the majority of the stuff that you are telling me is on your (and dd's underage) facebook account. I don't think he needs to learn how to deal with issues that only you are facing currently, we don't have family members who are like what you described.
My 12 year old is around a 17/18 year old on a daily basis, he is a mentor and specifically chosen by the school for leadership qualities and for the opposite of everything you have described.
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If these were the ones posting on facebook, I would have a huge problem with this.
And you are exactly right, a 12 year old shouldn't have that freedom, so why are you giving it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah...you have said this before. I wonder how "different" it IS that you raise your kids that so many people have a problem with it-???
emptynester,
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