“Mom, we don’t use the word
homosexual anymore.” Oh, okay. My bad.
Not the first time my kids have challenged my political correctness. And I’m sure it won’t be the last. In today’s extraordinarily diverse world, the usual challenges of adolescent parenting are amplified when we take into account not just differences of race, cultural background, and religion, but differences in learning and physical abilities, socio-economic situations, the gender spectrum, and more. While kids might be dealing with this diversity every day, sometimes parents can be a little more isolated. Friend and work connections may be more homogenous, making it tricky to be up-to-date on appropriate terminology and understanding outside our daily spheres of influences.
Recently Brookline Parent
Education parent liaison Elvira Perez put together a terrific little guide of
some basics, “A Parent-to-Parent Tip Sheet on Diversity & CulturalCompetency.” It’s by no means exhaustive, but offers a lot of food for thought,
especially as we approach Martin Luther King Day…
