Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/from-a-parents-perspective-tolerance-of-others-differences/5011782/
- Situation -"I feel so embarrassed. Today we were at the zoo and a child with Down syndrome was walking ahead of us. My son, a three and a half year old, turned to his four year old friend and said in a loud voice, 'She looks funny! I don't like her. Let's not play with her.' My shock left me speechless. I just hoped that the little girl did not overhear this comment. I certainly do not want my son to be insensitive. Should I punish him for his behavior?"
- Solution -
People are different in many ways. Tolerance, acceptance, and respect for differences require experience. Punishment does not teach any of these.
There is a natural human tendency to mistrust those who are different from us. Take a look at the scene in the Disney movie Pocahontas. Both the native people and the newly arrived English soldiers sing with gusto: "They're different from us, which means they can't be trusted. . . . We must sound the drums of war." This is a more blatant version of the same thinking your son is demonstrating. If someone looks "funny" (translated different), reacting with mistrust follows.
To raise children to be sensitive to ...