Race and diversity can be a difficult subject to talk about, especially with your kids. But I strongly believe that the move toward racial reconciliation in our nation starts in the home. Parents, you can teach your kids to love others and accept them, no matter their skin color. Or, you can teach them the opposite.

I recently got to speak with author and NFL player Benjamin Watson on my Parenting Great Kids podcast and we had such a great conversation about this topic. Here are just a few of the insightful and wise things Benjamin had to say on the subject of race and the family:

M: What did your parents teach you growing up about race?

B: The great thing that my parents always taught me was that although people may treat you a certain way…that doesn’t mean that’s how you should treat them. And that’s something that was preached loud and clear in my household: You treat everyone with the same respect, even if it’s not reciprocated.

They also taught me that no matter what has happened during your life, or in their lifetime, or in their parents’ lifetime, it doesn’t change the ideals and the aspirations that…