Anti-Racism Takes Action. 3 parenting tips on how to be a better active parent and ally.
One of the best things about motherhood, is when fellow mamas see a problem they’re like “okay, cool we’ve got this, let’s pool our resources and fix this.”
We need that because being a mom is the wildest and craziest ride I’ve ever been on, especially while doing it in a pandemic.
I hit another wall this week. But had some solid moments of gratitude and joy with the boys when we took some time to play outside. They are in a strong playing pretend phase — behold: our “campsite fire where we were making s’mores” — and it’s glorious. How are you holding up?
There’s no amount of training or reading you can do to prepare yourself for the inevitable surprises (challenges), you just have to grow through each and every opportunity and sharpen your skill set, while trying to raise the best humans possible — should be easy enough right?
And of course over time you become more resilient, seasoned and more capable, especially as you bounce thoughts and all the crazy off of your mom tribe. I’m so thankful for mine, and the beauty of it, is that it continues to expand which is such a gift when a new “thing” comes up, like trying to teach your kids about racism and unpacking white privilege. I’ve been benefitting immensely from so many discussions and literal training sessions with fellow working moms and rockstar women & men.
This week I sat in on great discussions on racism — one on “How to speak to Young Children About Racism and Inequality” led by Yehudis Smith, M.S. ED (mother of 4, Early Childhood Specialist & Coach at ImaginED Consulting, @ImaginedCoach) with exceptional guest speakers: Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, PsyD, ABPP (mother of 2, Pediatric Psychologist, Parent-Coach at A New Day Pediatric Psychology, @dr.annlouise.lockhart) & Anthony Alibocas (father of 4, ECE Educator & healthcare professional, @imsony1).
Here are a few tips that really stuck:
It’s never too young to teach kids about racism, you just have to use the right language.
We don’t have to go to great (unrealistic) lengths to teach kids how similar we are, we just need to do a better job at celebrating our exceptional differences.
Have things in your environment (home, classrom, life) that showcase multi-cultures
It will be on YouTube soon, so keep an eye out. In the meantime let’s keep sharing ways in which we can help each other be better parents and humans. I’m all about sharing resources and mom tips in all categories! Mamas unite.
xx, Danielle