Talking to Children About Being Judgmental
Taken from Julia Cook's book The Judgmental Flower.
By nature, children are not judgmental. They are not born to make damaging assumptions about others who seem different. In fact, children are gifted with an innate sense of justice and a deep level of respect for everyone.
By nature, children are not judgmental. They are not born to make damaging assumptions about others who seem different. In fact, children are gifted with an innate sense of justice and a deep level of respect for everyone.
Children who grow up in environments where differences are respected, acknowledged, and explained are much less likely to belittle or demean others for being different. To encourage understanding and greater acceptance of differences, here are some helpful strategies you can use in your home…..
- Talk openly about differences.
- Be a role model. Ask yourself are you the adult you want your child to grow up to be?
- Take advantage of teachable moments to highlight the contributions of people who are different than your family.
- Make your messages developmentally appropriate.
- Practice and model empathy and compassion.
- Engage in diversity related conversations and activities as a family.
Host a Taste of Difference Party
Invite your child's friends and/or parents to bring their favorite dish representing their heritage to your house. Ask them to cut the servings into small sample sizes.
When everyone has arrived have your guest take turns talking about the ingredients in their recipe, where it originated from, and why it is so special to them.
After the presentations, have your guest sample food.
Bonus: Collect the recipes and make available for all the guest.
For more parenting information, visit boystown.org/parenting.
"I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." - Abraham Lincoln
