Diverse Friendships – How Families Come Together

Violent riots happened in our cities. They worried me, a lot. I wondered. ‘How will we ever come together?’ Then I watched a video and found the answer.

Young kids have the answer.

I sat down with my granddaughter to watch her 4th grade teacher’s video. It was the end of a school year. Mrs. Smith had filmed her kids in action. I witnessed each child and each group in a variety of school and playground activities. Black, brown, yellow, red, and white children were smiling, working together, and helping each other.

It was beautiful. Friendships, like laughter, were in the air. What secret did this teacher, and these kids know? Perhaps it was this.

Racially Diverse Friends Enrich Us by:

1. Helping us appreciate racial and ethnic differences.
2. Overcoming past barriers and ignorance.
3. Finding things in common.
4. Learning from each other.
5. Enjoying each other’s specialty foods.
6. Building comfortable relationships.
7. Having fun together.
8. Laughing together.
9. Loving the other as a person.

We saw anger in the streets. It tore us apart. Long ago the Beatles said, “Love is the answer.” I believe they were right because,

Hate hurts.

Hate is wrong.

Love works.

Love is strong.

What can you do?

Children, who already have diverse friends, pave the way for parents to meet each other’s families. Here are some ideas

1. Encourage your child’s diverse friendships and meet their parents.
2. Expand your circle with diverse family friendships.
3. Make diverse friends at work.
4. Meet and become friendly with diverse neighborhood families.
5. Consider using the following 5 suggestions.

Racial Diversity and Friendship – Unique Ingredients

New Friendships are filled with delicious ingredients. Imagine the results when you stir together openness, risk, a smile, and an invitation together. Here is the recipe:

1. How Families Open Up to Diverse Friendships

Use dinner chats to ask and discuss:

1. Why are all people important?
2. Why is it important to give all people respect?
3. Why are friendships with people of different races enriching? Guiding children to be open-minded is a beautiful thing. When families are open to diverse friendships, people come together. Love works.

2. How Risking Expands Your Comfort Zone

Taking the first move toward friendship is scary. You could be snubbed. It’s a risk because you may:

1. Fear rejection from the other.
2. Choose to approach the other anyway.
3. Push yourself, saying ‘I can,’ and make the first move.

Like the basketball saying, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Take the risk. Expand your world. Come together.

3. How a Smile Bridges the Diversity Gap:

A genuine smile is powerful invitation because it can,

1. Show you’re friendly.
2. Make you approachable.
3. Relax the other.
4. Boost the trust.
5. Encourage a return smile.

Have you noticed, when you smile, others smile back? Like a gentle breeze on a sunny day, smiles feel good. Smiles help us come together.

4. How Invitations Initiate Friendships

Invitations begin with an email, a simple phone call or a knock on the door.

My daughter-in-law knocks on the doors of new neighbors with a plate of fresh baked cookies. Many, like herself, are from different countries. Often other exchanges follow. Not always but often enough for her to keep baking and knocking.

Delicious invitations give the new neighbor a sense of belonging. What an excellent gift to give the other!

5. How Diverse Invitations Help:

A. Focus on Kids with:

1. Rides to include their diverse friends to sport practices and games.
2. Dinners for your kids and their mixed friends.
3. Movies at home and popcorn for the kids.
4. Children’s sleep-overs to include diverse children.

B. Focus on Adults and Families with:

1. School events and introductions of your neighbor to your circle of friends.
2. Neighborhood parties to welcome the new neighbor.
3. Shared in-home appetizers and chats
4. Mutual family dinners at home or restaurants
5. Family holiday celebrations together.

When diverse peoples connect, they no longer feel isolated. When they also reach out to you with invitations in return, they’re saying, “Yes, let’s come together.“

Diversity Challenge for Families

Brainstorm how to create multi-cultural friendships that fit your lives. Pick one and post it on the fridge. Discuss your progress.

Conclusion: Diversity - How Races Come Together in Friendship

Rage like hate, hurts. It hurts the sender and the receiver. It splits us apart. I wondered, ‘How will be ever come together?’

My granddaughter’s teacher and class taught me the answer. Friendliness. Yes, friendliness because friendliness is a form of love and love works.

Many classrooms are already diverse. Super teachers, like my granddaughter’s, know how to bring children together.

You CAN be friendly. Take the risk. When you smile and invite others to come together, you expand yourself. You just might create lifelong friendships, have fun, and make this world a more loving place. Love works. Love is strong.