We've all been there.
In the supermarket (or other public place) with your little one, when they spot someone that doesn't look like them or anyone their family... for whatever reason.
"Mummy, why has that man got wheels?" or "Mummy, what's wrong with that lady?"
Your heart sinks, embarrassment kicks in, a hasty 'shhh' and you rush your child away, trying not to offend said person and thinking 'we'll talk about that later', though somehow later never comes!
But lets open a conversation about how we should respond in that moment. What do you think? But what if we could all shake that embarrassment, and instead take the opportunity to speak to our children about that point of difference. But how!? Here's our two pence worth.
1. Stay calm and try to shake the embarrassment.
2. Explain the characteristic of the person / people to your child. You might not know exact details! But rather than shut their question down, open it up. Phrases such as 'everybody is different, but everybody is special' can really go deep.
3. If you celebrate differences and practice loving and celebrating yourself (out loud!) this can go a LONG way to teach your child about celebrating our characteristics.
4. From an early age, be vocal about pointing out (and celebrating) differences in others around you.
5. Find a safe place to explore differences through diverse books and music. Be active in searching out these resources! Follow accounts such as Daisy at in_the_picture_book_club who has some brilliant suggestions of diverse books for children! This can open the door for great chats in the safety of your own home! Our song "We're All Amazing" is all about celebrating differences and loving ourselves - from hair type, to languages spoken and how they get around, and is a great conversation starter with your children, as well as being fun to sing and dance to!
We're All Amazing is out on February 18th and available on Spotify - pre-save it today!
We also have a fun activity sheet with some ideas of things to do based around the song - check it out!