It's a tough subject. I have an (almost) 10 year old and a 5 year old. I don't have the answers, either. And I wish I did. I HAVE had conversations with my older son about this. But, he's old enough to have a lucid conversation with if you know what I mean. My best friend is a white English woman married to a man from Trinidad who is black. This idea, alone, sparked conversation quite a long time ago with my son. He had questions. I answered them as best I could without going into too much detail (mainly because I know he'll stop listening if my answer is too long - LOL!). We have talked about the inequities that some people experience and how it can affect their lives. I believe that he has SOME understanding of how things are. But, still... he's only 9. I hope that I can guide him more in the future.
When I was a kid, I never understood racism or WHY people acted differently towards people. But, I grew up next door to a mixed-race family and their kids were my best friends. Then, at age 6, I moved to a new town. It was a whole new world there and I saw, firsthand, how racism worked. I didn't like it - even at age 6 - and thought people were just being mean.
I've tried to remember how I felt back then so that I'd be able to try to help them understand all this. Tough subject to deal with. ...But, I have faith that because their parents are not racist, we can lead by example.
...I'll be watching this post to see what kinds of ideas others may have on the subject.
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It's a tough subject. I have an (almost) 10 year old and a 5 year old. I don't have the answers, either. And I wish I did. I HAVE had conversations with my older son about this. But, he's old enough to have a lucid conversation with if you know what I mean. My best friend is a white English woman married to a man from Trinidad who is black. This idea, alone, sparked conversation quite a long time ago with my son. He had questions. I answered them as best I could without going into too much detail (mainly because I know he'll stop listening if my answer is too long - LOL!). We have talked about the inequities that some people experience and how it can affect their lives. I believe that he has SOME understanding of how things are. But, still... he's only 9. I hope that I can guide him more in the future.
When I was a kid, I never understood racism or WHY people acted differently towards people. But, I grew up next door to a mixed-race family and their kids were my best friends. Then, at age 6, I moved to a new town. It was a whole new world there and I saw, firsthand, how racism worked. I didn't like it - even at age 6 - and thought people were just being mean.
I've tried to remember how I felt back then so that I'd be able to try to help them understand all this. Tough subject to deal with. ...But, I have faith that because their parents are not racist, we can lead by example.
...I'll be watching this post to see what kinds of ideas others may have on the subject.
May 20, 2010 - 11:20amThis Comment
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