5 Things You Need to Know About Raising An Open Minded Child

1. Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk

Children, by and large, tend to adopt the attitudes and beliefs of their parents, at least until they reach adulthood and begin to truly explore themselves. If you want to raise your children to be open minded, consider your own beliefs, statements and actions. Often, people view themselves as open minded without realizing the stereotypes or prejudices they've learned from others. These things become ingrained during our childhood and can easily be passed on to our children if we remain unaware. How you react to people and situations and what you say about religion, race, disabilities, and lifestyles greatly influences the views your child develops, so make sure your actions match the lessons you provide verbally.

2. Explore Diversity

In our ever-changing world, even the culturally educated and consciously open minded can find themselves faced with ideas they don't understand. When you or your children find a situation that stirs confusion, disgust, fear or a general feeling of unrest, take that opportunity to explore it together. Learn how other cultures or even just other people within your own culture view the situation. Read together or find documentaries that explain varying customs, belief systems, foods, and more. Discuss these things with your child and be honest about your own reactions.

3. Ignorance Breeds Intolerance

Find opportunities to expose your child to other races, religions, cultures and lifestyles. Allowing them to discover and learn about these things while they're young can help them develop an accepting attitude toward people and places outside of their comfort zone. Children who are sheltered, even unintentionally, have a simple lack of knowledge which lessens the ability for open mindedness.

4. Rational Versus Irrational

Prejudice is, by definition, judging prior to knowledge of facts. It is, in fact, highly irrational and frequently causes irrational responses to unfamiliar situations. The best way to combat these irrational behaviors, statements and beliefs is to remain calm and rational when they arise. Respond to prejudicial statements from your child, your child's friends, teachers and neighbors by calmly explaining the situation to your child, seeking help and support from others when necessary, and remembering to seek out the facts before making a final statement.

5. Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Ask questions. Ask your children what they think and feel about the diversity in their schools. Ask what they believe in and why. Ask what they think of others who believe differently. Ask about their reactions, thoughts, feelings, fears and concerns when you hear about hate crimes. Above all, ask open ended questions, and truly listen to what your children tell you in response. These questions can trigger communication--one of the most important tools in combating a closed mind.