Teaching tolerance to our kids

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2010
Teaching tolerance to our kids
1822
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.

Kevali


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 9:57pm

I suppose you could leave at 3am, get to your destination at 8am, spend the day there, leave at 6pm and be home by 11pm.





iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2010
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 9:59pm

That's great. Not all kids are great all the time. They need discipline many times and I have no problem doing it. While I was a very easy kid, I was not perfect either and got in trouble a few times (I always tell my mother how easy she had it-lol!!).

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2010
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:00pm

Where did I EVER say we drove THAT fast? Hmmm...I didn't-lol!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:00pm
We used to drive 9 hours or so from IL to WV on Wednesday. Spend Thursday at our parents' houses for Thanksgiving and then drove the 9 hours back home on Friday. It was exhausting. Oh and I guess DH and my dad have both driven 5 hours or so both ways to drop someone off at an airport (me, lol.)
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2010
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:03pm

Wouldn't know as we would only go 5 hours in one day and then spent a few days at our destination.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:03pm
I did a bus trip from Germany to London in 36 hours once. We left at night and drove all through the night, spent the day in London, and then left that night to return home. It was exhausting and I wasn't even driving.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:03pm
The time we did it, we left the house at 5am, spent some time at our destination, then got home somewhere between 8 and 9pm. We left the kids with a sitter, b/c there was no way that we expected them to make that drive.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2010
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:04pm

Not sure WHO ever said they went 5 hours someplace and then back the same day-shrug. Not me.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-22-2009
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:06pm

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Wed, 12-29-2010 - 10:07pm
By definition, that's not a day trip.

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