I’ve struggled a lot with the fallout of last November. That evening, my oldest stepdaughter texted me a simple, “dad, is the world ending?” All three kids are extremely aware of what Trump’s victory represents, and are deeply disturbed. They live in Canada, and yet they’re worried about what this means for their world. How do we provide comfort and guidance? Certainly in weaker moments I feel like that scene in Aliens:
Newt: My mommy always said there were no monsters – no real ones – but there are.
Ripley: Yes, there are, aren’t there?
Newt: Why do they tell little kids that?
Ripley: Most of the time it’s true.
Other authors here have already expressed so many good thoughts and ideas. March, volunteer, contribute, speak out to the best of your abilities. Take time to grieve and be sad, and don’t forget self-care. If you couldn’t march yesterday, raise it as a discussion around the dinner table.
It seems that every week I’m stunned by how intelligent and aware kids are. (Was I ever that clever? I could swear I didn’t have half the social awareness when I was their ages.) Help them talk through their own ideas. If you feel they’re ready, start challenging their ideas; if they can defend their opinion in a safe and loving environment, they’ll be that much more capable in a tense one.
Please share your thoughts and ideas here or on our Facebook page. Yesterday we had a graphic demonstration that some 4 million Americans, and millions more worldwide, agree that this administration’s plans are bad. Let’s keep sharing our energies and ideas.
