Raising a Child Who Respects Difference

I think maybe tolerate is the wrong word...it kind of implies that you are putting up with something...rather embracing and accepting that we are all different is a better perspective.

Good for you for not just preaching to the choir! I love to see some of these comments which are completely intolerant-- it means hope in mass media is not lost. I pray I can teach my children well, that all people are worthy of love and acceptance. Thanks for some more tips. I will keep in mind to be more vocal about my preference for tolerance. I tend to be fairly non-confrontational and quiet. Now I know that I must be more deliberate with my words.

But what's NOT okay is to bully or abuse people BECAUSE you don't agree with their beliefs. We respect and tolerate EVERYONE, and we want to impart that on our children. All parents should strive to create children that are better than THEY are, because our children are the future. And at the rate the U.S. is going, we may not HAVE a future because of intolerance.

I absolutely LOVED your article! Thank you for sharing it with everyone. I am a Wiccan half Iranian bisexual mother of a 7 month-old son, and I believe that no matter what your beliefs say, it is human courtesy to respect people and tolerate them regardless of who they are. My fiance and I plan on teaching our children that they don't have to agree with someone's beliefs, and that it's okay not to.

I loved this article.

It truly is sad to read a story about children thinking it's "natural" or "normal" to think two men or two women can or should be married. The Bible is clear on the issue, and if I have to chose whether to follow man or follow the Bible, it's a pretty simple choice.

Homosexuality is not okay, it leads to a lot of problems mentally and physically and it goes against God's own creation. It is important that homosexuals understand they have hope, repenting and living a life without the sin of homosexuality, but that their behavior is extremely immoral, wrong and hurtful to society overall.

This is a very, depressing and sad story. The overall message is fine, we should be able to respect and treat others equally, but I do not agree that we should teach children homosexuality is okay. I suppose if you do not believe in God this is okay, but seeing as 80% of this country claims to be Christians, I will do my best to make sure my children understand the issue and how it is seen by God, not Massachusetts or any other state ruled by man.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article. Intolerance-especially to one's sexual identity-still exists in abundance today. The author is setting a great example for her children, and more parents need to follow her example.

Thank you for publishing this article. Embracing differences in race, culture, lifestyle, etc. very likely isn't a top priority when it comes to parenting. I think a lot of people open your magazine to find tips on potty-training, discipline, and other snappy, quick ideas. I commend you for looking at the bigger picture and hopefully someone who hadn't even thought yet about this matter, did. :)

One of the most important jobs we have as parents is to raise thoughtful and intelligent children. It's easy to just ignore diffences in people and expect your children to do the same, but it takes more courage to talk about those differences. As a parent of color who will actually have to deal with racial ignorance in the future, it makes me feel less afraid about what my daughter may encounter in school, if parents practice tolerance in their lives and teach their children to as well!