alright, starting this year off with a bang.
One of the most progressive things you can do is teach your children about marginalized people.
im saying this as somebody who was ALWAYS 1 of 3-4 black kids in classes as large as 30, when i tell you, i was touched without permission, asked invasive questions, and more? I've seen kids pull squinty eyes at Korean children and "whisper" (they were loud af) about visibly disabled kids.
if you're thinking "MY kid/sibling wouldn't act like that! they know better!" your kids dont know SHIT until you teach them.
looking back, none of these kids were being xenophobic on purpose, they were naive and curious, despite this their words and actions still hurt people.
if you plan on putting your kids in ANY situation where they might be around people that are different than them(school) you should be teaching them not to be a bigot about it. period. and its never too early, studies show that children begin to understand racial stereotypes around ages 2-5 & racial prejudice can develop in the early school-age period (ages 5-8 years) [source]. also, everything that i mentioned happened between 1st & 3rd grade.
your kid's ignorance has a lasting impact on the marginalized people they interact with.
So much of our society tells us that one type of body or mind is inherently "better," but we can teach our kids to think differently.
A CHOC psychologist gives age-appropriate advice to starting conversations about race and racism with your kids.
