Acceptance at a Young Age

A question that frequently pops into my mind is this - When should acceptance of others be taught in the home? When is it the right time for a parent to teach their child to be accepting of those who are different? I don't know the answer to this question, but what I do know is that this lesson is one worth teaching a child. With every new generation, it seems as though there are less prejudices and forms of hate circulating around. My assumption, however, is that this new open mindedness is something that children are acquiring on their own, not through the guidance of elders. Don't get me wrong. It's AWESOME that kids learn to accept others without being given a command to do so. But, my concern is that there is still a great deal of youth out there that don't know any better. So how do we educate the "haters"? The influences of society can be positive, but with negative ideas floating around, a young mind could have trouble figuring out what to believe. Peers are also very strong influences. However, if this peer has no knowledge of acceptance, he or she is likely to take their friends down the wrong path with them. So how do we fix this? How do we get words like "nigger" and "faggot" out of every day vocabulary? Doesn't ANYONE feel ashamed about that? I know that I do. This is an issue I'm afraid is not going to go away. I do feel, however, that the prevention of hatred should start from day one. Parents have an obligation to educate their children that being different is far from criminal. Some of these lessons do get taught. Of course, we're all taught not to hate little Suzy because she has bright red hair. We're also taught not to hate little Timmy because he wears old, beat up clothes. As kids, we're sometimes taught to get to know a person before judging them. Unfortunately, this "life lesson" tends to fade away as high school approaches. Many parents think their job is done after this. WRONG. Apparently, it's hardly a priority to teach a child to accept gays, lesbians, the mentally and physically disabled, blacks, etc etc. I feel that all parents should take the responsibility upon themselves to reduce hate in the world. It starts with children. Their minds are like sponges and they'll absorb anything they hear, right or wrong. Hate and discrimination are NOT options anymore. We should frequently be taking steps towards a hate free society.