I work with little ones and their families every day. I am an Occupational Therapist that provides home and community-based services to the birth to three population. I join them in every moment of life for sometimes a period of 36 months.
I am welcomed into their homes, I sit on their floor, I sometimes join them in a cup of coffee and I kiss their babies. I am so comfortable in this element that I now cannot understand or even see colour, creed, or sexual differences.
My job is to NOT see differences, but to see POSSIBILITIES. My values are to promote the inherent good in people and the capabilities we all share.
So, I ask again ... when do you talk to your children about DIFFERENCES?
It might surprise you that research suggests a three-month-old has an affinity to same race faces. By two to two and half years, they know if someone is a ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ and because they know colours, they can apply it to skin values. At age three, they become curious and aware when they see children who have physical differences and difficulties. By age five our children can play make believe and creatively act and use imaginations with gender roles.
THE PROBLEM as I see it is that the adults in their world are strangely worried and uncomfortable about discussing these issues. As if, not speaking about it makes it better. It doesn't make it better; it just makes it hidden. When we try to hide things from children, they recognize it as ‘something we shouldn't talk about’ and this becomes a vicious circle.
THE SOLUTION is not as difficult as you might think. First of all, when your children ask questions, talk about it openly AND talk about them positively. I am lucky to have race diversity in my home. It is common for us to make light talk of hair differences, skin values and such. But if you have limited exposure to people of other races and ethnicities, it may be awkward. Expose yourself to people with differences to gain the knowledge needed. Also, you can emphasize our similarities rather than only the differences.
Guess what ... humans of all abilities, creeds and colours ARE STILL BIOLOGICALLY SIMILAR!
Know this, your actions speak louder than your words. Children gain 80% of knowledge by visual input. What you model on a day to day (not what you say) will make the most difference. SHOW some love y’all! Help them understand who they are, where they are from, and why they are special so they have the language to communicate it with others proudly.
Lastly, read children's books that are on level with introducing differences and promote the diversity, equity, and inclusion values you want them to stand for.
Rooster's Ruse is more than a barnyard drama. It is a gentle reminder to children that fairness matters, that community is stronger when everyone is valued, and that even the smallest creature has a voice worth hearing. It can provide the gentle nudge needed to talk about immigration and our current day situation while landing in a safe place.
Shannon Stevens is many things all at once—wife, mother, grandmother, therapist, artist. She works as Occupational Therapist working with very young children who recognises differences not as problems to fix, but as uniqueness to understand. The stories she writes come from a place – honest, clear-eyed, and rooted in the real-world messiness of growing up, parenting, and simply being human.
She didn’t go to school to be a writer or artist, but learns as she goes; making mistakes, and finding character in every imperfect brushstroke. What she’s discovered along the way is that 'if you find something <that> inspires reflection, invites a smile, or helps you see your own story a little more clearly, then we’ve made something meaningful. Together, we keep creating, dreaming, and writing beyond the page.'
Discover more about Shannon’s work via her Instagram page.
THE SOLUTION is not as difficult as you might think. First of all, when your children ask questions, talk about it openly AND talk about them positively. I am lucky to have race diversity in my home. It is common for us to make light talk of hair differences, skin values and such. But if you have limited exposure to people of other races and ethnicities, it may be awkward. Expose yourself to people with differences to gain the knowledge needed. Also, you can emphasize our similarities rather than only the differences.
Guess what ... humans of all abilities, creeds and colours ARE STILL BIOLOGICALLY SIMILAR!
Know this, your actions speak louder than your words. Children gain 80% of knowledge by visual input. What you model on a day to day (not what you say) will make the most difference. SHOW some love y’all! Help them understand who they are, where they are from, and why they are special so they have the language to communicate it with others proudly.
Lastly, read children's books that are on level with introducing differences and promote the diversity, equity, and inclusion values you want them to stand for.
Rooster's Ruse is more than a barnyard drama. It is a gentle reminder to children that fairness matters, that community is stronger when everyone is valued, and that even the smallest creature has a voice worth hearing. It can provide the gentle nudge needed to talk about immigration and our current day situation while landing in a safe place.
Shannon Stevens is many things all at once—wife, mother, grandmother, therapist, artist. She works as Occupational Therapist working with very young children who recognises differences not as problems to fix, but as uniqueness to understand. The stories she writes come from a place – honest, clear-eyed, and rooted in the real-world messiness of growing up, parenting, and simply being human.
She didn’t go to school to be a writer or artist, but learns as she goes; making mistakes, and finding character in every imperfect brushstroke. What she’s discovered along the way is that 'if you find something <that> inspires reflection, invites a smile, or helps you see your own story a little more clearly, then we’ve made something meaningful. Together, we keep creating, dreaming, and writing beyond the page.'
Discover more about Shannon’s work via her Instagram page.
