Stories Can Offer Affirming Models of Love and Acceptance

This holiday season, share stories with children that deepen our values and celebrate our shared humanity. “Fireflies,” our newest children’s story about family, love and identity, gives children affirming messages and offers a model to adults on responding to a child questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. When 10-year-old Kaden wonders whether he’s gay, he turns to his older brother Zain, who offers the love and acceptance all caring adults should give to a child.

Stories build empathy and understanding of ourselves and others. Through stories we can connect with a character and share another viewpoint about the world. But importantly, stories emphasize that we are not alone in our emotions and experiences. Enjoy and share this story from the new Learning for Justice magazine and find more stories and resources in our Growing Together series for children and families.