How to talk about race and religion with your child?

Source: Mint Loungue

Children are increasingly aware that the world we live in is very fragmented. They get glimpses of this daily through news, social media and connections between adults. And yet, as parents, we tend to avoid direct chats on race, religion, gender and identity with them. But now a new book, Raising a Humanist: Conscious Parenting in an Increasingly Fragmented World, seeks to engage with parents and educators about raising a progressive and secular global citizen. Authored by academics Manisha Pathak-Shelat and Kiran Vinod Bhatia, and published by SAGE India, the book looks at the challenges that parents and educators face while talking about children’s questions on religion, class, body image, climate change, and more. “Raising a Humanist is an effort to start a discussion on how we can transcend our echo chambers,” state the authors. Using jargon-free language, the duo has drawn from several scholars such as Paulo Friere, Kamla Bhasin and Stuart Hall. “We completely understand that our realities are not black and white—that is why we do not call this a ‘How to’ guide or ‘parenting advice book’ where we preach ideals from a pedestal. This book is the start of a long conversation on parenting and nurturing young people in times of uncertainties,” they add.

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