By: Dr. Gloria Morgan

Opportunities to discuss so many matters with our children must be embraced.

We live at a time when we cannot afford to “shelter” our children about the social ills of our time. Yes, there are bad people; yes, there is wrong; yes, others may not treat you right; yes, death is real.

The list is endless...

With the prevalence of social media and “news on the spot”—whether vetted or not, our children are overwhelmed with TMI (too much information).

What must Parents do? Explain as much as possible to their age level. We must not ignore it or think that they cannot understand what we say. Let them ask questions. Be honest with your answers. Avoid “blame game” responses.

Avoid tainting their world with prejudice and hate.

To do that, it is important that Parents shed any negative thoughts about others first. Whether you believe it or not, you are your child’s first teacher. Decide to teach what is right and just—no matter what. Their future is impacted by what they learn from you now.

When one of my daughters used the N-word one day, I was shocked.

I remained calm and asked where she heard that word. She stated that one of her classmates used it. I stopped everything, and we talked. For about 20 minutes, I shared the history of the word and why it should be avoided. Her innocence was very apparent as she asked questions about “why.” Shutting her down with “because I said so” would have been inappropriate. That open conversation was healthy and resulted in many more when she had questions about many other things.

Those things included rape, pregnancy, divorce, crime, abuse, racism and challenged finances (my term for being broke).

Parents have a responsibility and privilege to raise children to be productive adults who are mature physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. I will discuss topics related to these five areas in the future. I look forward to your feedback and thoughts at southwesttribune.com and Southwest Tribune’s Facebook page.

Be well,

Dr. Gloria Morgan, director of academic affairs at the College of Brockport Rochester Educational Opportunity Center

*Stay tune for a time and date in the upcoming days that Dr. Morgan will be discussing and taking questions on Southwest Tribune’s Facebook social media