Appreciating Each Other’s Differences

“Isn’t it cool how everybody is different?”  I’ll ask my kids from time to time.  “It’d be so boring if we were all the same.”

I hope that from an early age my children will appreciate other people’s differences and see them as something interesting, not something bad.  My family lives in a diverse metro area, and my kids regularly see people of different ethnic backgrounds, hear people speaking different languages, and see people with physical and intellectual disabilities.  I try to mindfully encourage my kids to be accepting of differences and appreciate them.

This week is “International Special Olympics Week.”  At my daughter’s gymnastics facility, there are pictures on the wall of a Special Olympics team.  She asked about it once, and I explained that the kids in the picture were athletes.  They may have been born with intellectual disabilities, but they’re gymnasts, too.

Here are some ideas of ways to foster acceptance in your family.

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