When it comes to the news the hubs and I hardly ever censor it for our kids. We have TV and social media and live streams on occasionally when big issues arise. The death of Trayvon Martin was one of the first real issues we discussed with our kids. While it wasn’t easy it was important and it was an issue we wanted them to hear and understand from us.
Now that Mike Brown and Ferguson have been in many of our conversations I knew it was time to have another discussion. We needed to huddle and have a “family meeting”, as my mom calls them, to talk to our kids about the news we were awaiting to watch where President Obama would address Ferguson’s horrific situation.
The hubs gathered the kids, asked if what they know anything about the news lately, and listened to our kids speak. We then shared in a kid-friendly manner what the situation that was about to be addressed on TV was all about.
How to talk to kids about the news
Ask– Ask what they know about what is going on. Ask about events, people and places names. Or how much of a situation they understand.
Listen– Listen to what they say. This will determine what you need to share in addition to what is going on. Many kids will share about how they feel about a situation. Reassurance is important.
Share– Share what is going on in a kid-friendly manner. Try not to pass on your opinions by saying what you hate about a situation.
And repeat if your child is engaged and you feel they need to understand a little more.
We will continue to be open about the things happening in our world with our kids. My amiga Kathy Crafty Chica said it best “everything is a lesson for your kids” and this GUBfriends is so true!
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