I have been a member and a club sponsor for gender and sexuality alliances support groups for LGBTQIA+ folks for over 20 years, and every pride month people ask me the same question: “Why have pride month? What’s the point?” Simply put, pride is the opposite of shame. Pride month is our time to come together and say to each other that there is NO SHAME in being your authentic self. You are lovable and wonderful and you can be proud of your identity! The reality is that a lot of shame is placed on our LGBTQIA+ kids and families, (and there are a lot of serious statistics about their experiences) so that is why pride month continues to be necessary– we need to stand up against the shame, together.

In so many ways, high school and the teenage years are the culmination of the work you have done as a parent. It is the finale, the moment in which you can take pride in all the late nights, the early mornings, the dinners eaten in the car on the way to practice, the fights, and the disagreements. It’s the moment you’ve waited for since your child first came to your home—your child no longer being seen as a child in the eyes of the world, but as an adult.

Thanks for following through this series of talking to kids about race. If you’re just joining us, we encourage you to check out some of our earlier posts about how to talk with toddlers and elementary aged children about anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.

Today, we’re talking about adolescents. Though we’ve talked about the importance of raising anti-racist humans from birth, it’s never too late to start incorporating more diversity into your family’s home, media consumption, and conversations. As Maya Angelou once said, “You do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Adolescents are experiencing a “remodel” in their brains, doing away with old, useless information, and strengthening their beliefs and ideals that are most enforced, so now is a great time to start or continue this work (1). The young brain is truly magical… even though the sometimes sour moods and slammed doors are not!

This blog is the second in a series designed for parents to more easily approach the topic of race, bias, and racism with their children. Much of the language and resources in the Birth to Pre-K blog is also appropriate for Kinder and 1st graders and is generally foundational to this post. Please check it out!

Here you are, the parent of a preschooler or an even younger child. Maybe you are a first-time parent. Maybe you are a parenting pro. No matter, you are questioning how you’re going to begin a conversation, one that you know you should have and might not know how to start, or what is appropriate for the developmental level of your child. A conversation about race.