Raising Our Kids To Have Hope In A Scary World
Every night this week, my husband and I have fallen asleep watching CNN. We can't pull ourselves away from it. We listen to the latest news on our Syrian brothers and sisters, we try to find out what our country is going to do next, and we try to figure out what to say if our kids ask questions about any of it.Now that our kids are getting older, they're finding out about the world from their friends. My kids and their friends overhear something their parents talked about the night before and go to each other's houses to tell their friends their own versions. Sometimes it's scarier than what it really is and other times it's dead on.I wish I could prevent my kids from hearing about all the scary things going on in the world, but it's the one thing I can't shield them from.Life has an endless supply of scary stories and as my kids get older, they're only going to gain a better understanding of what's actually going on.So what can we do as their parents?
Answer Their Questions Appropriately
Kids are going to ask questions because it's their way of trying to make the world a little less scary. If we don't answer them they're only going to go to their friends with the same questions, but their friends aren't going to have the answer we want.We need to think through how we can answer scary questions they have appropriate to their ages.Mommy, what happened in Syria?
- There is a bad leader in Syria doing things to scare and bully his people. Now a lot of citizens there are looking for a safe place to live.
- There is a leader named Assad there and he is using his power to scare and hurt citizens in Syria. Recently he did something that hurt a lot of people.
Find a way to answer your children's questions that provides information without overwhelming them.
Find Hope
Fear without hope is a terrifying feeling. As parents, it's our job to find hope in the scariest of situations. Our kids are coming into a scary time in the world, but they're also the ones that will make a change when it's their time to shine.We need to raise hopeful kids so as they grow into adults, they will always look for ways they can affect change.One way we can do this is by finding a way to do something as families. We could serve at a local shelter, raise money for a group in need, or raise awareness. Start with something small and show them they can make a difference in the world they live in.
Fight The Scary Monsters
We have been there to scare away the monsters for our kids since their first bad dream. Now, they're learning the monsters aren't only in their dreams, but in the world they live in.When our kids thought they saw a monster, we would go in gallantly. We'd look under the bed, in the closet, and maybe even "fight" them off.Now, it's their turn. They get to learn how to fight off the scary monsters in the world. How can they do it? By standing up firm and telling the monsters they can't take our hope away. They can stand big and tall, try to scare us, but they can't take our hope.We can teach our kids never to give up, no matter how big the problem is.We can teach them to always stand up and fight.
How Do You Teach Your Kids About A Scary World While Giving Them Hope?