Talking to Palestinian-, Israeli-, and Jewish-American Parents
The world is heavy right now. Between natural disasters, war, the increasing impacts of climate change, the dehumanization of migrants, and acts of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, hateful actions towards educators, and it is oh so much.
It's been a particularly horrible time for those of us with Palestinian and Israeli loved ones as we've witnessed Hamas' horrific attack in Israel on October 7th, as well as the devastating continuous attacks by Israel on Palestinians before and since then. How do we talk about all this with our kids?
Tabitha spoke to Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish parents who live in the U.S. about how they're processing things with their kids. We found some of their approaches really helpful with our own kids and thought you might find the same. It's the longest article she's ever written but it's worth a full read. Read it here.
If you've also been affected by any of these tragedies, we hold you in our hearts and are joining you in hoping for an end to the devastation and violence. This has also been a hard time for everyone, even if you're not directly impacted, and we see and acknowledge that.
Antiracist parenting starts with compassion, with meeting our little ones where they're at and helping create a sense of safety and security for them. During this difficult time, our kids may overhear things you say or on the news or be processing feelings that they don't have the language to communicate. Us adults may not even have adequate language to explain to them what's going on. But, it's important to talk to kids in an age-appropriate and kid-appropriate way about the world around them, both the uplifting and the tragic. We've found this resource from First Conversations to be particularly helpful in helping kids with grief.
ONE THING TO DO WITH KIDS
If you'd like an activity to do with your kids, calling Congress to advocate for a ceasefire in Palestine, an end to the violence and an end to the siege on Gaza, can be a powerful thing to do as a family. Kids of any age can understand the need for people to stop being hurt.
That's it for today. Please take care of yourselves, and hug your loved ones. Let your kids know you love them.
xo
Tabitha and Adam