Quote:
Originally posted by teena
My question is for SKEEphistAKAte and mulattogyrl. Both of your girls are still young. Would you go into graphic, detailed discussion on the Middle Passage, right now? Would you tell them, right now, about slave auctions and the rape of the women? After you tell them that, mention that racism still exists?
That's my issue.
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I definitely PLAN to teach my daughter about all of those things. She is 4 and I don't think that she would fully grasp it right now. However, if something ever came up that would allow me to introduce it to her (teachers call that "teachable moments") I would do so and explain things in a simplified manner. It is kind of like the birds and the bees. Small kids ask "where do babies come from" at a really young age. When they do, you give them simplified answers that they can understand and as they get older you can go into more detail. That is how I will approach racial issues.
We've already done some though, because she came home last month and asked "mommy, when is black history month?" They'd done some stuff on MLK at school. So, I gave her the 4 year old version of MLK and the civil rights struggle at that time. You know, in plain language and using scenarios that she would understand. For instance, she has a little white girl at school that she is good friends with and I said that not so long ago her and the little girl wouldn't have been able to be friends or go to school and play together and I went on from there.
So, I don't think that it is something that you should shield your kids from at any age. I feel like you just have to explain it to them in terms that they understand. I also think that it is important to get to them before the school system does. So when she goes to elementary school she will know the REAL history and be able to tell truth from lies as this 7 year old girl did. But, yeah I could see us having a conversation about slavery and slave auctions right now. But it wouldn't be really graphic, I wouldn't sit her down to watch Amistad or anything like that. Right now I think is the time to lay the foundation, the more gruesome facts will come when I think she is ready.