There are so many concerns in our day to day lives. As Moms, we have our kids, spouse, health, family, friends, dishes, laundry, housekeeping, this week’s holiday bake sale and 10,000 other things on our minds 10,000 times a day.
This isn’t even including the ‘macro’ things like politics, war, race and gender issues, etc. that creep into our consciousness.
I feel that these ‘macro’ issues have proven especially burdensome, intimidating, depressing and so much more ‘in your face’ this past year.
As a result, I know I am not alone in acknowledging that our country is divided and charged in such a fashion that I can honestly say I have not experienced anything like it in my lifetime.
Right about now, you’re probably thinking, “What has this got to do with Thanksgiving and why is this on a ‘Moms Blog’?”
My response: EVERYTHING.
As Moms it’s our job to guide our children through life, to teach them our values, how to be a better person, how to be a gracious person, how to be respectful, and to also teach them how to navigate in a complex, fast-paced, and (ever increasing) technology-heavy world.
As Moms, we are the temporary keepers of the future.
What we teach them today will shape our world in the future and we have so much to show them right at our fingertips!
I want my children to grow up where the freedom to disagree, free press and right to peacefully demonstrate is still paramount.
Even more so, I want them to grow up being tolerant.
This certainly doesn’t mean that they can’t be passionate about an issue, but I want them to be able to see past the differences and dogma and find the similarities.
That’s how things change. That’s how things are mended. That’s how I see us, as a city, county, nation–coming together, through our children. Small things add up to become big things.
Let’s start small, literally, with our children.
What can we do?
- Invite the new neighbors of a different country, ethnicity or religion over for dinner to learn more about them.
- Invite someone that you see absolutely nothing eye to eye on for a party or dinner to show the kids that despite differences of opinion, graciousness and tolerance are paramount.
- Host a block party pot luck–it’s amazing what kids learn from seeing and trying new foods.
- Teach them that a news headline or issue is often not so black and white and there are many nuances and varying opinions.
- Encourage them to find their own conclusion to the topic, even if it disagrees with your own stance, by providing them with a balanced and unbiased explanation as possible. There are so many other ways to show our kids how to be more tolerant and to see differences as something to explore and cherish, rather than fear or loathe.
What my Thanksgiving Wish for this year is for this to become a movement.
A Moms Blog changes the country kind of movement.
A kindness and tolerance movement.
A new generation of thoughtful, insightful and gracious kids through little acts of kindness and understanding with the people we encounter every day, on the street, at school, and at the store. Can it really be that simple? I think it can if we start small.