How To Raise An Open-Minded Child
Posted by Johnny W. on
As a Dad raising two girls in this day and age of intense political polarization, I found this article on Parents.com helpful in reminding me the importance of "How To Raise An Open-Minded Child".
The curiosity and willingness to hear other point of views will make them more kind and empathetic, and able to choose sound reason over ignorance and pride.
Here are 5 Ways from the article on How To Raise An Open-minded Child.
1. Fix You First - In front of your children, learn to hold back from railing on other views or people with opposing beliefs, without first explaining the legitimate reasons why those people might believe what they believe. If we explain the importance of being open-minded to our children, but then rail against say pro-choice people or people of faith, we are modeling close-mindedness to our children.
2. Encourage them to Question - teach them to ask questions until they've a good understanding of opposing views. You want your child growing up curious of differences, rather than presuming anything different from what they know (- or are accustomed to) is not worthwhile.
3. Expose Them to Different Things - If you want your children to better understand the world and be open to the unfamiliar, be intentional about sharing it with them, including the ugly parts.
4. Point Out Prejudice - we should point out prejudices whenever our kids are faced with them so that we can help them, first, to recognize them for what they are and, second, to teach them how to resist that way of thinking.
5. Teach Them How To Listen - You have to be able to truly listen to others before you can understand a different viewpoint.
Our world needs more open-minded, loving people. Start with your children. Teach them today what open-mindedness means and how it can change the world.
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Here's the link to the full article. I hope it helps to inspire you.