Pull up a chair, get a cup of tea, and enjoy reading the recipes and tidbits of my journey through Life.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Some Un-Asked for Parenting Advice


This afternoon my daughter and I were drinking our after-school hot chocolate and watching Labyrinth.  Sarah was rocking Toby and my daughter asked where their parents were.  I told her they had gone on a date and she asked what that was.  My answer: When two people love each other they enjoy going places together, just the two of them.

This got me to thinking about the way we, as parents, explain things to our children.  Most of us probably grew up thinking of those "two people" as a man and woman, but that is not always the case.  They could be a man and woman, but just as likely is a man and man or woman and woman. 

We are responsible for how our children learn to see and think of things.  Eventually they will learn to think on their own and form their own opinions, but as they are starting out we are their caretakers.  This is how Hate is taught.  Hate is learned, it does not exist in a vacuum.  It does not take much additional effort to take a moment to think before we talk to our children.  Even if it did, they are more than worth the effort. 

We are raising the next generation of leaders.  How do we want that world to be?  Gandhi said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."  Raising our children to be accepting and open-minded is a wonderful place to begin that change.