The Diversity Dilemma: Teaching your children, the importance of other cultures.
Nov 11, 2021“Mommy do you think that Miss Quinn knows how to make Chinese food?” My 11 year-old son asked.
I replied. “Why would Miss Quinn know how to make Chinese food? She’s Japanese.”
We all had a good chuckle at my son’s faux pax, but in his innocence, the error of my son’s statement revealed a deeper issue.
Miss Quinn was a new member at the church that we were attending at the time, and while we loved the church for its diversity, we quickly realized that we weren’t doing our part as parents to make sure our children understood various cultures. If I’m honest, I’ll have to admit that I used to be so focused on making sure that there is African American inclusion, that I forget to do my due diligence in making sure I’m rearing my children in an environment conducive to learning diversity outside of our race. We can’t expect others to do their part in learning about our culture if in turn we’re not doing our part to learn about other cultures as well. So what can you do to make sure your child understands diversity?
Conversation is Key
Start out with a simple conversation explaining that there are people from different cultures and different walks of life outside of your own culture and people group. Be sure to make the conversation fun and capitalize on the fact that life would be boring if every single person looked and acted the same. Diversity is an exciting part of life!
Educate Yourselves
Take advantage of your local library and allow your children to choose a book that will educate them on a culture outside of their own. It should be informative, but most importantly it should be fun!
Be Intentional
Occupy spaces with people who don’t look like you. Plan outings and fun activities with people of different walks of life and cultures. I later spoke to Miss Quinn and asked her if she would mind telling us more about her culture.
She was thrilled and volunteered to come over to teach my children how to make sushi. It was an enlightening experience that left my children grateful for the opportunity.
If you’ve failed to capitalize on the importance of diversity with your kids, don’t stress over it. It’s never too late to get started!
Author Biography
Gina Johnson is an award-winning author who has been published in 4 anthologies on topics ranging from love to motherhood. Her debut novella, Love Delivered, was a continuation of the Faith in Love series which she co-wrote with best-selling author, Michelle Stimpson. Her latest project, The Good Enough Mom, was released in time for Mother’s Day and reached #2 on Amazon’s bestseller’s list for Christian Fiction. She resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband of 20+years and their four children.
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