Doctor Hollier explained, “They learn more from the world around them such as through school and extracurricular activities, which is a shift from parents being nearly sole teachers during the preschool years. As such, the way you communicate with them should reflect their changing cognitive development and [their ability] to reason better.”
For example, “your child may have seen someone being treated unfairly. If your child mentions this, that is an opportunity for you to discuss with him why he may think the person was treated unfairly and how he feels about it. If your child does not ask or share directly, use current events such as the recent events in Charlottesville, to jump start the conversation,” continued Hollier.
Begin with asking specific questions, says Hollier. “’How does what is happening make you feel?’” and ‘Why do you think the people out there feel the way they do?’ are all good places to start. “These types of questions are open and may lead to a conversation that you both can learn from. When you take the time to ask your child questions and really listen to his responses, he understands that you are there for them and that you really care and are interested in what he says, feels, and thinks. This will go a long way in helping to keep the conversation going.”
Teenagers
By time your children are on the verge of entering adulthood, they “will have their own racial biases,” Jarret Patton MD FAAP and Founder of DoctorJarret.com, tells BlackDoctor.org. “Embracing diversity as a concept, as in discussion, and by demonstration, as in having a diverse network of friends, helps alleviate the bias. Having follow up questions with television and media events asking why they think an event happened or asking about their feelings about a certain event can go a long way towards inclusivity.”
Of course, another important tool, is being an example in your home, workplace and being present in your child’s school environment, including extracurricular activities.