How to Be a Peaceful Activist as a Parent
Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
He was known for his peaceful protests, and was especially gifted with his inspirational words that influenced people to take action.
That is what (I believe) it means to be an activist: to take action for a greater cause.
When we look at our actions in our own families we often focus on the daily tasks, and sometimes on the bigger picture.
Through my work learning about parent-child relationships and how they are microcosms for our larger society, I have come to view families as fertile ground for social activism.
How does a parent become a peaceful activist?
One way is to become intentional in your words in speaking to and about your children.
Let’s get specific: How do you speak to your child about their body?
Do you use kind, loving, optimistic language?
Do you use degrading, insulting, shaming language?
I’m aiming right at the language around the body because so many oppressive systems are based on the human body: its color, its size, its gender, and its abilities, for example.
As a parent, you are creating your child’s self-image through the words you use.
Even an event as seemingly mundane as a diaper change is an opportunity for you to teach your child they are loved exactly as they are, they are accepted in their body as it is, and nobody gets to devalue or punish or exclude them based on their body.
Ever.
Can you see how powerful this peaceful activism can be?
Can you see how children raised to love themselves fully will not put up with the bullsh*t of someone saying they can’t do XYZ because their body isn’t ABC?
You don’t have to lead a movement to make a change.
You can lead your family and love your child and let them carry the ripple of love and acceptance into the world.
Watch the video below (no Instagram account required) to see hear some examples of how you can use positive language to talk to your child about their body:
It is SO important for us as parents to be aware of the words we use with our children, and the lifelong impact those words have.
🌟 Leave a comment below to share how this idea of being a peaceful activist in your family resonates with you.
If you're concerned that your language with your children is not supporting them the way you hope, I'm here to help. Let's talk together and find specific ways to shift your language so your child grows up loving themselves fully and completely (the same way you love them!).
💜 Allyn
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