By David Pham

*The True Origin of Intolerance : How Children Are Raised Around the World

*Objectives

*Learn about the different types of parenting styles, classified under four main categories of parents.

*Learn about the difficulty of raising children in multiple different environments.

*Read about the best ways to build tolerance in a family environment.

*Understand that the childhood of a person affects the way they think of the people around them.

Can a more tolerant

generation be created by raising children in a more tolerant and free

environment?

*Types of Parents

*Authoritarian

*Also known as "strict parenting"; strict parents expect their children to follow any rules that they set, or to follow a strict schedule that allows for little freedom for a child. Strict parents are rare, and are rather idolized in American media as a negative stereotype.("Raising a child in a different culture")

*Authoritative

*Children have rules, but they are allowed a certain amount of freedom. Authoritative parents are caring for their child and are involved in their lives, but not to the point of strictness.

*Permissive

*Permissive parents allow their children to have mostly free reign and don't guide their children much if at all. They are more like a friend than a parent.

*Uninvolved

*Uninvolved parents neglect their child entirely, as they feel they their children will fail in life regardless. Uninvolved parents generally have problems with addictive substances or with authority that affect their ability to think about their child.

*What works?

*Authoritative parents were shown in the study to have the happiest and most successful children.Authoritarian parents lead to children with low self esteem and social incompetence, leading to a low tolerance of others that they don't understand. Strict parents are rare in society, and are showed in media constantly. Some people do believe that strict parenting results in better children.

Permissive parenting may lead to children that have too much free reign and that get into trouble with others.Uninvolved parents lead to children who feel neglect and are intolerant of others.

*Blended Families

*Many children (statistically three in five by 2004, based on the statistics from Michael G. Connor, are raised in a "blended family". These families are created by separation or divorce of families, mainly, leading to the child being put up for adoption or forcing the child to be raised by a friend or family member. The child may also be kept by a single parent that gets remarried, leading to a blended family of both the spouses' children.

*Effects

*Children that are raised in blended families tend to create a void in the child's life as they understand that one of their parents aren't with them. These children may grow up to be less tolerant of the world that has given them a rough childhood. On the other hand, if raised with care, these children may be able to grow up to be more tolerant, having been exposed to different types of culture in a mixed family.

*Moving Families

*A different problem among families is raising children in a foreign environment or moving countries/cities constantly.

*Effects

*Moving families brings up the problem of language barriers, differing religions, different ways of raising a child, prejudice against other races, etc.

*Possible Benefits

*Raising a child in a different environment may make them more aware of the different types of people in the world and the varying conditions of different countries, leading to more tolerance in their lives.

*If the parents are having problems financially or emotionally, the kids would probably be affected in more of a negative manner.

*What are we doing now?

*Recently, people have recognized that teaching tolerance to children at a young age is one of the best solutions to the problem of an intolerant world. Parents are encouraged to talk to tolerance to their children, identify and challenge negative stereotypes, expose their children to different cultures to encourage cultural and religious tolerance, be honest about differences, and to model good behavior.

*However, not all parents do this well - alcoholics and other negative types of exposure in parents can affect a child and make them into an intolerant person at a young age. Intolerance in children affects people around them through peer pressure, which affects a child much more than any parental influence.

*The best way a child can learn about tolerance is by understanding that 'yes, everyone is different; however, that person over there has feelings, just like every human being, and should be treated as such.'

*Parents are encouraged to help their child get used to new people and to not judge someone merely based on their appearance.Challenging racism is another point that should be brought up, but carefully.

*A parent's own bias may affect their child's; however, teaching a child to go against negative stereotypes would make them more tolerant of other races. Spreading diversity in life would help with this immensely.

*Citations*Conner, Michael G. “Parenting in Blended Families.” Crisis

Counseling. N.p., 2005. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.crisiscounseling.org/Articles/BlendedFamilies.htm>.

*Datcher, Kelvin. “10 Steps Toward Raising a Tolerant Child.” Reader’s Digest. The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 2012. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.rd.com/family/10-steps-toward-raising-a-tolerant-child/>.

*“Different Parenting styles Affect Children Differently.” Parents and Teens in Tune. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.parents-and-teens-in-tune.com/parenting-styles.html>.

*“Family.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family>.

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*Citations 2*“Gay Parenting Does Affect Children Differently.” Narth. (Source: The

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*Hax, Carolyn. “Different lifestyles cause a family fracture.” dallasnews. The Dallas Morning News, 27 June 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/columnists/carolyn-hax/20110627-different-lifestyles-cause-a-family-fracture.ece>.

*“Raising a child in a different culture.” Raising Children Network. Raising Children Network (Australia) Limited, 5 Apr. 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/raising_a_child_in_a_different_culture.html>.

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