Acceptance
In April, we learn about
ACCEPTANCE!
ACCEPTANCE means to welcome someone or something,
without trying to change them and/or it. When showing ACCEPTANCE, effort is made to practice empathy and try to understand what someone is going through. Finally, ACCEPTANCE gives all people the right to be unique. Everyone can have their own set of feelings, thoughts, and opinions, and ACCEPTANCE allows us to celebrate diversity and our differences!
5 Ways to Teach Acceptance (akronchildrens.org)
Knowledge is key to acceptance. Teach kids that when they see differences, it doesn’t make a person weird; it just makes them different. Encourage kids to respectfully ask questions about differences, so they can learn from others who aren’t like them.
Challenge the idea of what’s “normal.” What’s normal? Just because your family does things a certain way and looks a certain way does not mean that is what’s normal. Everyone is born unique with different traditions, likes and preferences, so there is no one way to be “normal.”
Don’t shy away from tough conversations. Never ignore questions based in curiousity. If you shut a child down for asking a question, it sends the message that it’s not acceptable to talk about someone’s differences. Instead, answer their questions honestly. It will help foster open communication about differences. If you don’t know the answer, it’s OK to say, “I don’t know. Let’s find out together.”
Model acceptance. Be mindful about the words you choose, and if your child shares misinformation, be sure to correct it and show them how their words could hurt feelings.
Cultivate empathy. It can be difficult for kids to see themselves in other kids who are unlike them. To better help kids show empathy, ask questions such as, “If you talked differently, how would you feel if someone teased you about your accent?” When kids can empathize and get to know kids unlike themselves, it helps them better see similarities, while simultaneously accepting their differences.
