Show by your actions how people who look different and talk different is the best way of educating your children about racial stereotypes. When questions come up you can then explain how these misconceptions and generalities come about.Children learn best from their parents, especially before they are of school age. 

In today’s world, children of different races and nationalities learn together and this is healthy. Racial hatred and put-downs are not such a big part of today’s society as it was fifty years ago; yet it exists and tomorrow’s leaders, children of today, need to know how truly gifted and privileged they are to have African, Brazilian, German, Lebanese, Russian and others in their classrooms.

Language and color differences tend to disappear when children learn and play and exchange ideas together. Encourage your children to learn and to be friends with their new classmates that maybe are here because they are refugees. They will be needing all they help they can get and accepting them and welcoming them and inviting them to take part in Birthday parties and outings and such.

Still, even though it’s a global community there are racists around and they are the direct result of stereotyping. Explaining to your children your own family’s Irish background, Russian background, or Italian background, and the problems foreign people faced they first came to this country only a couple of generations back will show them how wrong racism is.  

Racial stereotyping is not only for one color over the other: white people have funny notions about blacks, or blacks making fun of poor white trash, it is a part of every culture. It may not be widespread, or known, but it is there. Differences tend to make people nervous but when everyone is seen to be basically the same, then the sharing of ideas and the respect each for the other, will in time do away with much of the silliness of grouping large numbers of people together because a few in the group did a few peculiar things.

Taking to your children to the Greek festival and showing them the different kinds of foods and having them join in with the dancing, will do more toward fostering friendship and respect than all the talking would ever do; or at an International Day festival, persuade your child to contribute by dressing in a Native American costume in honor of their great grand mother.

There’s so many ways your kids can learn about cultural differences and what not to do to make other feel slighted or unwelcome. It all starts with their parents, their mother particularly, and their attitudes. The world is really an exciting and adventurous place, why aren’t we enjoying it more?