I have two boys. They are just like any other boy in America. My wife and I continue to raise them in such a manner. But, to be honest this is a difficult act. But why is this act growing more and more difficult? Think about it, you see so many stories of random killings from guns in people's homes, random acts of violence in schools, and police violence against "black" men.
I can't raise them to be full of fear, and i have to know that i can't control every situation. I can't remove prejudice from anyone from the police who might assume that my children are criminals, to people in my city who might believe my kids aren't "black" enough, or to other people in my city who think that my kids are too black.
The Tamir Rice situation is tragic and breaks my heart when I think about it. The idea that a boy was gunned down because someone felt threatened (step 1) and an overzealous police force shot him because he fit a broken profile(step2). So much wrong with this situation and all of this boils down to fear.
Let's spin this the other direction. If I start becoming a helicopter parent and raise my kids out of fear, I feel as if I will force unnatural feelings on to my kids, that in the future could cause them to act out because of feelings that I placed on them. The police which we see doing wrong, to me, this comes from years and years of fear that has been placed on them. I can't raise my children them in a way that makes them victims before they ever get a chance to live. If i did, this cycle will just continue. Fear leads to fear leads to irrational judgement and poor outcomes.
Maybe a lot of my attitude comes from my Christian faith. I realize I have no control and that in the end I just do the best I can parenting (Check Romans 9). I can't control if the person next to me is racist, prejudiced, xenophobic. I don't know who is carrying a gun or not. I'll raise my kids to be respectful, and to recognize their situation.
Now while I am saying this. We aren't blind and our children are aware that people can have prejudice. Not a particular race, but people.
Faith & Hope. I have to raise my kids, my faith gives me hope that regardless there is a plan. And with that I raise my kids to have no fear.