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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sure it did, it upsets you that parents out there allow young children to sign up for FB, so much so that you think it's within your power to go beyond just declining the invitation but reporting it to the parents and TPTB on FB, that does come across as playing God and IMO, is not your call to make.
Again, it was not a FULL 400 miles. I guess I could put in the EXACT directions for the EXACT mileage.
It was about 350 miles, my bad.
You've flamed thats_fowl, so I don't see how you can take the "flame that all you want but that's MY opinion". My opinion and the fowl believe that FB has rules and we choose to follow them, even if others don't.
I don't friend underage people on facebook, because that is not the purpose of the community as defined by TOS and it's not what I use fb for. If I was interested in reconnecting with old friends in distant lands, I would connect with their parents.
Social communities irl and online have rules and I think it's important to follow the rules especially for the protection of children. My friend list is a pretty great bunch, but it is often PG13 rated. I wouldn't take these kids to a PG13 movie either if I met them irl or to an adult gathering, so why would I invite them into my online community.
I'm pretty sure the underage friends I've declined to friend into my fb list do not feel "shunned".
Edited to add: When my ds13 got his fb account last July, he trolled his sister's and friend's accounts to get as many friends as he could in the quickest time possible. It was a race with his friends. I declined a number of requests because they were not interested in being part of my social community, they just wanted the most friends on their friends list.
And has fb done ANYTHING about it?
So 77 MPH.
Sorry, I only apologize when I am wrong and I have NO problem doing that. I am not wrong though. Thanks :)
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