I am very opinionated. I was lucky enough to be raised by parents who allowed me to make my own decisions and develop my own opinions in life. My father is one of the best devil's advocates I have ever met. He is the only bleeding heart liberal who would say "and what makes you think women should have rights?" with a straight face. He would sit patiently and wait for me to think and respond only to ask another question. I love this about my parents. I love that they would always tell us all sides of an argument and allow us to make our own decisions. I love that they tried very, very hard to keep their opinions from being my opinions.
I try very hard to raise my children in the same way, but there are some issues that cause my foot to hit the ground. There are two issues that I will not even allow my children to consider the other side. Hate and Choice... these are non negotiable.
My children will never, ever have the choice to hate someone because they are different. No matter what! You will never hear me allow them to make THIS decision on their own. I will happily indoctrinate them into my "liberal" views of every person, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation is equal. I will preach to them with every last breath that people deserve respect and compassion at all times. I will teach them that the only time it is okay to stop someone from speaking is if they are hurting someone else, intentionally, with their words. I will ensure that they have the strength of mind to stand up for what they believe in and ,in doing so, are protecting the rights of everyone around them.
Today, my nine year old daughter shared a story with me that chilled me to the bone. She told me stories of racism and slut shaming on her bus, a bus that only transports children from kindergarten to fourth grade.
Today, I sat my children down and started my rant.
Today, I made it clear that they understand what is acceptable and what is not.
Today, I gave my children the power to stand up for what is right and to stand up for those who need help.
Today, I showed my children that sitting back and doing nothing is exactly the same as causing the problem.
Today, I encouraged my children to do what is right, not what is popular.
Tomorrow, I will do it all over again.
I hope parents realize that when they sit by and do nothing, they are teaching their children. If we, as adults, don't show our kids that action is more important than complacency, then how can this world ever become a better place? Please remember, the "it doesn't impact my kid" argument no longer exists. If your child is exposed to a situation, it affects them... period.
