education.com

Help Your Child Celebrate Religious Diversity

by Rose Garrett, Hannah Boyd

In the halls of today's schools, children are likely to encounter a multitude of students different from themselves, whether in the color of their skin, their clothing, or their personal or religious beliefs. In the adolescent years especially, certain rites marking the passage from childhood to adulthood mean that you and your kids are likely to be invited to an array of multicultural celebrations.

But while some children may be accepting of religious differences from the outset, many can come to see differences in a negative light. “What children face very often are environments where being different is not recognized as a state of being, but rather as something to be concerned about or afraid of,” says Joyce Dubensky, Executive Vice President of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. And in the school setting “there are different kinds of difference,” says Mark Fowler, who designs and implements the Tanenbaum Center's training programs. “If you have a young person who may be going to a school where the majority of children are celebrating quinceaneras, then they are the different one.”

So how to foster an appreciation for all kinds of difference, before prejudices form? Here's what Dubensky and Fowler recommend:

• Use your resources. Whether it's checking out a library book on religious differences, or extending a dinner invitation to a co-worker who celebrates Passover instead of Easter, introduce your child to differences early by bringing it into the home.

• Visit a house of worship different from your own, and talk about the similarities and differences you see. Fowler also suggests “looking at other expressions of holidays, and what are the similarities” with those already familiar to you.

• Develop empathy and curiosity. If your child makes fun of his Muslim classmate's hijab, ask him how he would feel if someone talked about him that way. Help your child figure out a respectful way to ask his classmate about the headscarf, instead of shushing him or changing the subject. Dubensky says that the goal should be to “value positive, constructive, respectful curiosity.”

If your child is invited to a multicultural or religious celebration of a classmate or friend, don't let worries over proper etiquette get you down. Here's a quick intro to what you can expect at a handful of typical celebrations: