Why Language Matters. Image courtesy of Latina Moms.
Language is one of the most fundamental elements of communication. It helps us interact with one another and convey a broad series of emotions and thoughts. It allows us to describe phenomena in a way that everyone can understand.
When our children start to talk, we become riddled with joy as we hear the sound of their voices trying to express themselves to us. We start teaching them the names of animals, shapes, and colors.
Everything turns into a “what’s this?” game. With that being said, have you ever stopped long enough to notice that most of our language acquisition is via the art of describing things?
As our children grow older, their cognitive growth and development increase, and they expand on their ability to think and reason. At this point, as parents, we need to meet these developmental milestones by teaching them about the world around them.
Language is extremely important when it comes to teaching our children respect. The LGBTQIA+ community needs our love and respect, and we must express to our children the importance of language as they interact with their peers.
Promotes Awareness
Don’t be that person that shields your children from the outside world. Do your part and teach your children all there is to know.
In order to teach them respect, you need to openly talk about the community. Don’t hinder yourself from doing so because you think they are too young to understand.
Don’t get sucked into the debate of whether or not it is appropriate to say gay in the classroom, either.
You would be surprised just how much our children can understand as long as you guide them through the right path.
Teaching them language specific to the LGBTQIA+ community instructs and educates them about the topic so that they can learn to acknowledge the community and become respectful allies in the process.
Teaches Inclusivity
By using the appropriate language, we are teaching our children about being inclusive and respectful. Teaching them about pronouns such as they/them, for example, and actively using them when appropriate promotes an environment of equality and respect for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Inclusive language can be a bit overwhelming, but the drive to say the correct term shows the drive to respect each other’s identity, no matter how they dress or look.
The Value of Empathy
Different from sympathy, which is basically feeling pity for another individual, empathy is being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes and truly understand and share their feelings.
Making an effort to teach our children gender identity and how people describe themselves helps them see its importance.
If we just disregard the true meaning behind it, they won’t understand the inequality in the community. They will be able to truly feel for them and do what they can to make them feel loved and accepted.
During this Pride Month, let’s make an effort to teach our children the importance of being inclusive.