In the wake of terror in our country, I’ve spent so much time thinking about how to fix this. How as Americans can we possibly recover from recent events and change the future?
As moms, I believe we are key.
We have the power to mold the little minds that we care for each day. We need to teach them love, and in a BIG way. They must learn to love all Americans, regardless of what they stand for. So many groups are singled out right now; homosexuals, Muslims, blacks, police offers, and the list go on and on. When did we stop just being Americans? We celebrated the 4th of July earlier last month as ONE nation: the land of the free and the home of the brave. Weeks later, it feels as though we are one country being torn into hundreds of pieces. It feels that we aren’t as free as we should be. There are too many Americans living without freedoms because they fall into a particular stereotype, and it has to stop.
I keep asking myself, how?
How do I teach my son that these differences are the very thing that makes this country great? I believe diversity is something you have to make an effort to teach your children. We can’t expect that they will learn it from anyone else. We are their role models, and they will base so many pieces of their future off of the decisions we make as parents.
Make a friend of a different race or religion. Visit a different part of town, and allow yourself to connect. Expose your family to differing viewpoints of the world and understand why others think that way instead of criticizing. Take you children to volunteer for organizations that teach them about the struggles or interests or others. It is easy to live in our little bubbles with others that are just like us.
But, this isn’t the way to drive change.
My son isn’t old enough to understand any of this yet. And I dread the day when I have to explain something as tragic as the events that have recently taken place. I do know that educating him about differences, compassion and diversity have to be a key piece of his development. I know that for every child we teach to love others and their differences, the better America will be. As I embark on this journey with my son, I plead with you to do the same. Please teach your children to embrace our differences so our children can truly grow up in a better America. And if we all focus on love, surely our generation will catch on and do a be better job of showing it.
