Young Hearts and Open Minds Understanding Diversity

When should we start talking to our kids about tough topics like racism and discrimination? In this episode, I reflect on a poignant question raised during a recent podium event on empowerment and parenting. With my 22-month-old already noticing and naming different skin tones, it’s clear that children are never too young to start learning about diversity. Through a personal story, I explore how early and honest conversations can help shape open-minded and empathetic young minds.

Join me, Otako, as I share my insights as both a parent and an educator on the critical role we play in our children's understanding of the world. By addressing their natural curiosity with straightforward discussions, we equip them to navigate and appreciate a diverse world. Tune in to hear how fostering an environment of openness and understanding from a young age can empower our children to become more inclusive and aware individuals.

Transcript

Otako: 1:13

A participant stated the question at what age should someone really speak about rest with their children? And then, as I said, to my experience, the earlier the better. This is your favorite time of the week with your number one podcast, hear my true story. Well, my dear listeners, welcome back to Hear my True Story podcast. It is me, your host, otaku. Well, this wonderful week, I am really excited to have you again and to share my personal experiences and maybe also to talk about certain topics that really make us reflect on certain things. Well, I can share my experience.

Otako: 2:02

A week ago, I had a podium discussion and then one of the participants in the discussion raised the question that really triggered my thinking. I mean to give you a simple flashback about the podium discussion. We are talking about empowerment and parenting, meaning where we talk about how can we empower kids in parenting, in the area of education, people who are working with young kids in daycare centers, or maybe parents themselves and also people working with young people. How do we empower these children, how do we empower the young people? Well, it was a wonderful conversation on this podium discussion and just one question that triggered my thinking was when a parent raised and said okay, at what age bracket can I start to talk with my kid about racism? You know it is quite a very good question because it's not easy to answer. Everyone may think on their own way. At what age bracket can I start to talk with my kid about racism, about discrimination, about diversity? So these are simple questions. But when to know as a parent, or to know as an educator, or to know as a caretaker, at what age bracket can we start with to speak about this topic? Well, I've been thinking about this from my personal experience, because I have a young kid of around 22 months, I would say like that and this kid is really good at looking at things and observing them.

Otako: 3:50

There's a time when we were looking at a photo book with different, diverse people in this photo book and the kid at that age bracket could really understand when the kid when my child sees a young kid with a light skin color, it would definitely give them a name, depending on the kids that they are with in the daycare center. So my kid one time saw a father in the book with a kid, but the father had a dark skin color tone and of course then my child says that is Papa, that is Dad. And then when my kid sees a light-skinned person in the book, he says either the name of the person that she knows that is light skinned. And when this book had so many kids with different skin color tones, and then he saw a kid with a brown skin color tone and said yeah, that is me, that is me. I mean my child is just 22 months, but at that point the kid knows to differentiate the different skin color tones and no, this one is this one and that one is that one Differentiating colors, because colors kids know them the moment they start their health. They get to know the different colors, they get to develop to associate with them.

Otako: 5:19

So then, when this participant set a question and said at what point can I start talking with my kid about racism, about diversity, about discrimination, I mean personally, I would say I cannot tell the right age, but what I can share as an educator, as someone working with children, as someone who has some experience in this field of education and parenting, because I'm a trained, qualified educator here in Germany I would say the earlier the better, because as a parent, as a caretaker, as a someone who's supporting the growth of this child, the earlier you start to have the kid experience this diverse, the better, because it makes no sense to not speak about things when the child asks a question, because that is what the children need to ask questions because they really want to know. Sometimes they point out things because they are trying to discover, because discovering is part of growth. Discovering is part of getting to know the world outside our normal living. So, as the host of the podcast, me myself or Taco I would say there is no exact date that someone can start to talk about discrimination, to talk about racism with the kid. The earlier the better. The earlier the better, you know, since children are inquisitive and they absorb so much of what they see and hear anywhere they sit. Maybe they have watched it in the book, or maybe they have looked at a protest somewhere, or maybe they have heard it from the community where they live. Children absorb everything and they learn from them. They can learn a lot of things from friends. They can learn a lot of things from social media. I mean they can learn, and that means that they will definitely have a lot of things from friends. They can learn a lot of things from social media. I mean they can learn, and that means that they will definitely have a lot of questions.

Otako: 7:45

So, for me, what I think, as a person working with children, is that to talk about racism with kids is also important. However, it can also, mean a lot of you as a caretaker, or you as an educator, or maybe you as a parent, to definitely inform yourself and also to be able to decide how much can I, as a person, talk about this topic with the kid, at what age is it too young and at what age can I have all the answers for that kid? You know, that is the thing that really bothers someone who's raising up a kid. However, most people get a lot of insecurity when they don't know the right answers, when kids take questions and they start doubting by themselves oh, I don't have the answer. What should I do? By the way, it's right, it is okay, it is 100% fine for you as a caretaker, or maybe for you as a parent, or maybe for you as an adult that is taking care of this young kid, not to have all the answers. That is okay. That is fine if you don't have all the answers. So, to get back to the point of at what age should I be as a person or should? At what age should I talk with my kid about racism?

Otako: 9:26

Let me tell you something. According to information based on research that is there outside, a baby's brain cannot stress best differences before a child's first birthday as soon as six months, that's according to the studies. And also the studies show that by four years old children can internalize racial bias and by that time they are kind of many kids can become set in their beliefs. So, as I said in the beginning, the best thing to you as a caretaker or to you as a parent, is to have this kid at least have a chance to live, to experience these diverse experiences, to have books for the kids to look at and to see that there is diverse in the world. It's not only people like me that are there To have kids to take part in different group or kids activities that are diverse. For you as a person could be kindergartens, because that's one of their roles to have kids to at least have chances to live actively in the diverse opportunities for the kids to live actively in the diverse opportunities for the kids to actively experience diverse, maybe through books, maybe through toys, or maybe through stories that you read them or maybe through songs that you sing with them. These are the things that really make the kids.

Otako: 11:20

And two, according to research, is that kids really get these things at a very, very early age. Through these chances when you provide them for the kids, I mean, sometimes it's really difficult, but if I go to the preschoolers these kids from the kindergarten daycare centers they become a lot of curious and they notice through their peers that they don't look like their peers. They get to have some conversations about everything they see in the world, including people who have different skin color tones and hair. So you see, at that age of the preschoolers, the kids that go to the daycare centers, the kids that go to the kindergartens, they get this conversation within themselves. They even talk about this. So therefore, it is really good to talk with them about that difference, about that diversity, about that, how the beauty of being different it is.

Otako: 12:32

You just talk to them according to their level of understanding. Of course you have to live those complex things. You don't have to talk about the complex things. You need to talk about what they can understand and then when they ask questions, then you discuss about them. They will ask you. You answer what they ask you. The most important thing is to answer what the child asks. Your favorite podcast is here. Hear my true story.

Otako: 13:08

So, as a parent, when you have these materials, these learning tools that are really able to show diversity in the world we are living in, that show that the world is really diverse and there's a lot of beautiful things and people are different and everyone is special in their own way, then kids get to experience this so that they don't only keep the same kind of books that don't show the beauty of diverse and don't show kids that the world is quite bigger than what they live at home. So it's very important for them at a very early age to have these chances. For example, books are really important you know, play toys are so, so important in that case also for the kids to experience diverse or to interact with each other about how they see these photos in the books, how things are at school, how things are at home, how the difference of their cultures, race or the ethnic groups are, and that way they get to understand that diverse community that we live in. So I mean, that is just according to talking to smaller ones, the smaller kids.

Otako: 14:26

So my say would be at the end of this conversation is that the earlier the better. That's my understanding of talking about race with kids. The earlier the better, because we already said in the research, there's proof of research that kids, children or maybe babies brain cannot stress best differences before a child's first birthday as soon as six months, that's, according to studies and by the time they start to be part of this wonderful world, they already experienced it before they were born. That's it. So, my dear listeners, I wouldn't want to really get deep into this conversation because I just wanted to share with you my experience and also my notes when I was on the podium discussion and then a participant stated the question at what age should someone really speak about? Rest with their children? And then, as I said to my experience, the earlier the better.

Otako: 15:42

Provide materials like books, play, toys. Have kids experience diverse in the communities. If there is a festival of different cultures, different communities, yes, if you have time, take part of that with your kid. If there are kids programs that bring children from all diverse communities, diverse cultures together, well, take your child, let your child experience this wonderful, diverse way of living so they can really notice that, wow, there are different cultures. Wow, there are different races. Wow, there are different skin color tones. Wow, there are different hair textures. Wow, everyone is so beautiful in this world the way they are Wow. That's it, because that's one of our role to have children to actively experience diversity, to actively be part of this world where they speak against, where they say against, where they fight against discrimination and racism. That's what we aim to as adults, as people who are looking at a fair, peaceful world to live in. So, my dear listeners, I would definitely want to say bye for now.

Otako: 17:06

It has been me, Otaku, on this wonderful podcast. Hear my true story and well, I hope that you enjoyed my conversation. Yes, as you know, of recent, they are really short episodes because the shorter, the better people listen and then they get to go. Yeah, but anyway, before you stop listening to the shorter, the better people listen and they get to go. Yeah, but anyway, before you stop listening to the podcast, I would want to request you, my dear listeners, if you have been following this wonderful podcast, hear my true story podcast. We are really excited when you give us some feedback. We would always like to hear feedback from you.

Otako: 17:39

Just get into your listening app of the podcast, wherever you are listening this podcast from, subscribe or maybe leave us a text. Look at the description of this episode. There is a link. You can send us a text. You can send us a message. You can appreciate our work. You can tell me well, you are doing well, otaku. Well, that's a nice conversation. Well, the route you are taking is good. Well, because most of the things I talk about are from my personal experiences, so you can also let me know what is your experience by writing it and sending it to me. I have an email here at hearmytruthstorycom. Maybe you can go to the description. There's a link. Write me a text, write us a text and let us know how you feel about this wonderful podcast. Hear my true story. It has been me, your host, otakoro. Thank you for listening and I hope to have you next week. Have your wonderful week. I would like to say bye, for now. We not only have voices for a podcast, but also faces for YouTube. Bye for now, you.