https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:47 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635336 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:37:29 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 635336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>First, teaching a young child to use such vulgar language for a cheap laugh is deplorable.</p> <p>Second, tolerance is difficult to pass onto children if you do not fully embrace difference of thought, culture, and people yourself. Parents and adults have to be diligent not to pass on bias even when its in jest because children do not know the difference.</p> <p>I really hope I do great job of teaching my children to be open-minded, hear people out, and not judge. Life is so much richer when you engage with all types of people. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635332 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:34:51 +0000 lilteacherbee 635332@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Absolutely, I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, I've seen some of that type of behavior from previous 4 year old students and their parents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635329 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:33:36 +0000 mrs. 64 635329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an elementary school teacher and I can guarantee we get an earful of what is discussed at home. Young kids believe what their parents believe and repeat what they hear their parents say. Thankfully most of the time it isn't anything as bad as what you described, but it is terrible to hear some of the things our kids are taught/exposed to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635241 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:49:12 +0000 MrsTiz 635241@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: Very similar experience here, was not raised by open minded or accepting people, well..mostly my dad.. but it had the opposite outcome on me. I saw how it was to be ignorant and hateful and will never be that way or allow my children to be that way. There's hope for him!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635235 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:48:12 +0000 .twist. 635235@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow. This makes me so sad and I fully agree with you. It's fine to have your own beliefs and faiths but tolerance is such an incredibly important piece of that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635228 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:45:35 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 635228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow. That's really, truly warped. There's a big difference between teaching your LO why you believe what you do vs. that its simply fun to hate those who feel differently. Never mind that I can't imagine knowingly and willingly teaching a toddler that language. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635220 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:42:17 +0000 banana 635220@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This makes me sad. :( I hope he doesn't grow up learning intolerance. And the fact that he would say such horrible words (especially the R word) makes me really really sad. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-635150 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:03:05 +0000 blackbird 635150@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I totally agree with you and man, it is sad that this little boy is being taught these things. </p> <p>I will, say, however, that I was raised in a few close minded home, where tolerance was not embraced and inappropriate things were said about others (race, religion, whatever). And I find it so sad that I was raised that way. I am a very tolerant and open minded person, so there is hope for that little boy :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-634970 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:46:43 +0000 swedishfish 634970@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, that's terrible. I can't believe anyone would teach a young child to say things like that...well, actually I guess I can because I've had students say disparaging remarks about politicians and different races before. They learned it at home :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-tolerance-long-vent#post-634925 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:31:12 +0000 lovehoneybee 634925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Disclaimer: It is not my intention to belittle anyone's beliefs or tell anyone how to raise their children and very sincerely hope this does not come of as such. This is just something I've been thinking about for a while and wanted to put out there. </p> <p>DH and I have a friend, M. Well, he's DH's friend…they‘ve known each other for about 20 years and share similar feelings on several important topics. He was the best man at our wedding. He's a sort of stepdad to a 2 year old boy, B (he and his GF R are living together but not married. B calls him Daddy). M is incredibly smart, incredibly well-spoken, incredible passionate about his beliefs and political leanings (he’s about as far as you can get on one side of the political spectrum). </p> <p>M is very nice as long as you agree with him the big things. If you don’t share his beliefs he automatically assumes you are an idiot and that you are being brain-washed. He’s very patronizing (Honestly we barely talk to them and I think DH is friends with him out of habit). </p> <p>So anyway, last summer they all came up for our baby shower and spent a day with us. While we were hanging out at our house M started asking B (the 2 year old) questions. Like “B, what do you think of (insert politician here)” Answer “He’s a douche bag retard shit stain”. Cue adoring laughter from his parents and uncomfortable looks between me and DH. “Ok B, what do you think about (insert political party)?” Answer “(They) are dumb mother f*ckers and hate America”. And so on and so forth. </p> <p>It really upset me to hear such hate and vitriol spouting from the mouth of such a little boy. It bothers me to think that he’s been taught to parrot some of the meanest, intolerant language from his parents--not just things he’s picked up from their conversations but things they’ve actually taught him to say. He can’t understand what he’s saying, and it concerns me that as he grows older he will continue spouting these sorts of things until he believes them to be true. The irony being that M loves to rant and rave about how children are being indoctrinated and brainwashed into religion but he’s doing the exact same thing to his son. The difference? Only the content. </p> <p>The worst part for me was how cute his parents thought it was that this little toddler with big innocent eyes and a high little voice was calling the people his parents disagree with some of the worst names I’ve heard from even adults. They laughed and complimented him and high-fived him and in the meantime DH and I are side-eyeing each other in disbelief. </p> <p>I know we all want what’s best for our children and of course we have the freedom to raise our children in our own belief systems but it makes me really sad to think that teaching our children such intolerance and hate can do nothing but deepen the chasms between us. </p> <p>It bothers me even more now that I’m a mother. Because all I can think is how could anyone hate my sweet, innocent, beautiful child just because he believes something different than someone else does and I would be very upset and feel like I failed as a mother if my child hated someone else purely because they saw the world differently than him.</p> <p>I feel like I will have done a good job as a mother if I can teach my son to be kind, to be tolerant, regardless of skin color, of religious belief or lack thereof, of sexual identity, of political leanings and to have empathy towards his fellow human beings. </p> <p>Anyway, I guess where this is all going is that I think the world will be a better place for our children and our children’s children and so on and so forth if we raise them to be more tolerant and accepting of each other, and I hope you all feel similarly. </p>