One of the great worries in parenthood is how to raise a child to be a mature, responsible adult. Most parents want their children to be respectful of others, no matter which race, religion, or background the other people have.

Children learn by example. If you want your children to be tolerant, you must be tolerant yourself. Do not ever think that because they are children, they are not paying attention and do not understand. They do. Children were born with eyes and ears. They are not given these once they become teenagers. There is a reason they have them. Some tips to help your child be as tolerant as they could be include:

1) Watching how you address other people who may not be the same race or religion as you. Treat them they same way you would treat a person who has the same race and religion. Be careful not to use any racial slurs or any popular slang that is meant to degrade any person's race or background. Do not single people out because of their outside appearance.

2) Get to know who your children's friends are, and their whereabouts when they do out with friends. When your children are in elementary school, this is pretty easy since they cannot go out by themselves, and you you have to take them any place they need to go. You have more of a say in what they do as well. When they become teenagers and begin to do things on their own, it gets harder to stay in the know, but just talking to you children and not saying anything that causes them to be defensive could help. If you ask if they are going out with a certain person, they may ask why you want to know that, especially if the person is of another race or background. This gives your child the idea that they should treat people differently based on what they look like. Also, if you are talking to your child about their friends, do not single out some friends as being interested in different things if you do not know this for sure. Stereotyping is something that is learned in childhood.

3)Monitor the types of television programs, movies, and music your child listens to and watches. The media is full of racial slurs and inappropriate references, and it is important to make sure your child is not watching one group of people being criticized or badly spoken about and demeaned. Be sure to implement wholesome family programming.

4) Become close with your children's elementary school teachers. Children spend five out of seven week days in school, and this is alot of time. The teacher may be aware of some type of problem your child has in regards to the way they treat other children. Just like with any other problem, it is best to catch this problem before it gets any bigger.

It is our responsibility to raise children who will grow up to make this world a better place. In the society we have right now, this is not exactly getting done, and part of the problem is that children are not taught to be respectful. When more parents take an interest, they will see great results.

Learn more about this author, Erin Yarrobino.
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