Raise a tolerant child by teaching him to respect other religions.

“Families are the best place to learn and practice mutual tolerance and acceptance.” Taking a cue from this famous quote, I feel that  in an atmosphere where so much religious unrest is seen on everyday basis , by raising a tolerant child, parents can contribute, though in a small, yet, effective way in help promote peace in our fragile world.

Moreover, right from their growing up years to adulthood, our kids will interact with people of different religions; whether its school, sports, jobs or neighborhood. And if they hold any kind of prejudice while communicating with people of different faith, it will harbor negative attitude in our kids, which would be the last thing   you would want for them.

I stay in a housing community which celebrates diversity with great pomp and show. Each festival, be it Diwali, Durgapooja, Ganesh Chathurthi, Eid or Christmas; is observed with much fanfare and my kids jump to every occasion and participate in the each religious festivities with equal enthusiasm. They associate all religious practices  with such pure fun that I dare not tell them that they are supposed to  strictly follow our own religion and remain indifferent to others. After all that’s  the beauty of bringing up a child in a secular world; he/she is exposed to different faith and beliefs;   which makes him  flexible enough to adapt to all the differences , thus becoming  a tolerant individual  when he grows up.

Societies  today  have  become a  melting pot of different cultures so  for  a child to lead a peaceful life  throughout, even in the midst of disparity , it only makes sense to bring him  up a  as an open-minded  person  who won’t hold any bias or prejudice against others.

Some of the things parents can do to raise a tolerant kid are as follows:

THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK:  You are your childs’ first teacher. Their impressionable mind imitates and emulates you at every step.  If you speak ill-will or have biased opinion about   any religion, the kids will naturally pick up on it.  So if you say anything disrespectful about a religion, they too will form a negative image of it in their mind and would consider it alright to speak against that cultural system just like you. It is therefore very important to mind your language and tame your tongue before you lash out against any religion.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. We know that young kids are receptive of their surroundings, especially to their parents’ behavior, so whatever we do makes an indelible mark on the child’s mind. Thus, the lessons on tolerance could be taught practically through our own actions. 

The way you conduct yourself with people of different faith makes a huge impact on your kids. To start with, a simple hi-hello with people of different communities, greeting them on their festivals, encouraging your children to participate in multi-religious events will teach them to appreciate every religion in spite of the different customs they follow.

You can also invite your child’s friend of different faiths to your home for a play-date or can mingle with their parents just to show your comfort level. These gestures will send a message of tolerance to your kids in a veiled manner.

Books are a great tool to help them understand religion. I make it a point to read  my kids  well-illustrated children’s books  on  world religions,  sacred places,  festivals,  customs etc. it’s a tiny step to make them understand about different culture and their beliefs.

By undertaking such simple measures we can raise a secular child who is respectful towards other religion. And when there is respect, he will remain tolerant, even in any adverse situation.

ANSWER THEIR QUERIES:  Globally people follow different religions which is bound to make a child get both confuse and inquisitive. They might ask you why some people go to temple and some to mosques. Why some people wear cross around their neck and others rosary beads. Why some people wear robes and other dhoti. Try not to evade these questions and answer in an age appropriate manner. Let them not relate religion to any mystery , instead  explain them  that  just like their  family has a particular religious background , similarly every person has their own  religious leaning which they  are free to follow. Tell them that this religious diversity makes the world a beautiful place to stay.

 HOLD CONVERSATION WITH OLDER KIDS:  Kids are not worldly-wise and they look up to their parents for proper guidance.  Therefore it’s important not to shun their questions; instead help them in sorting out the religious matter by talking about it. You should answer all their questions related to religion least they are misled in wrong direction

Kids nowadays interact with children from different places  having different background, if not at home then at schools or at coaching centers etc. so it becomes really important to tell them that a person’s religion is not the criteria to judge his character and  they should treat everyone kindly, irrespective of their religious practices. I, for instance, also encourage my kids to politely ask questions about their customs and cultural system from their friends of different faith so that there’s no scope of guess work. Also let them know that it’s not nice to exclude somebody because of their beliefs, looks, dressing sense or even their eating habits.

To raise a tolerant child in religiously charged atmosphere could be a difficult task as young children are quick to notice differences between different religion but if we  apply the above given strategies , it will help promote love, respect and compassion  among our younger generation right from the beginning.