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The world feels like a very scary, unsafe place right now. We are all watching, as unspeakable horrors unfold before our eyes in Palestine. Like many of you, I want to do everything in my power to help. Things like boycotting, protesting, calling our TDs and donating to humanitarian aid on the ground. But, how do I talk to my kids about what is happening in Palestine?
I want to preface this by saying, I am not a child psychologist. I am a mum of four, who’s been through a few traumas over the past few years. From these experiences, I have learned how to speak to my kids about uncomfortable, sad topics. We each know our own children best, what information they can absorb, and how to tailor it to the individual child.
From my own experience, children are very receptive to the emotions and anxieties of those around them. They can sense it, even when we try to protect them from it. They overhear conversations, they catch snippets on the news, even some of their friends will be talking about it. We have found that being open and honest, in an age-appropriate way, is the best policy for us.
My own children become more anxious when they feel that things are being kept from them. As parents, we instinctively want to protect our children from hurt, pain, sadness. However, these are normal emotions. I believe allowing children to feel these uncomfortable feelings, and supporting them as they navigate it, will hopefully make them more resilient and compassionate. We do our children a disservice by not preparing them for difficult feelings and situations and equipping them with the skills and strategies to navigate through them.
When it comes to the current situation in Gaza, we started by outlining the history of Palestine and drawing parallels to our own history. We emphasised why it is the responsibility of those of us who are privileged, to defend and support those who aren’t. We talked to them about the current invasion of Palestine. We have told them that people are being killed, although we don’t dwell on the specifics of this. Our older children have asked us specifically, whether are children dying, and we have been honest with them. This did upset them, but we listened to them, acknowledged their feelings, and agreed with them about how they were feeling.
When we have given them tangible, proactive ways to help, it has energised them and given them a positive purpose. They join us on marches, they make colourful posters, they boycott brands that support Israel. They use their pocket money to buy Palestinian flags and badges. They do this with pride. People at protests have stopped them and told them, how proud they should be of themselves, and they are. They meet their friends at protests, and this gives them a sense of belonging to a movement; something important, bigger than them.
I don’t believe, that asking children to boycott Mcdonald’s or to protest on the streets will ruin their childhood. I think it highlights how individual actions can impact change – an important life lesson.
Our hope is that by including them in such important activism, we will raise compassionate, caring adults – adults, who will be able to navigate the world with humanity.