Ep #39: Talking about hard things

Today is March 1, 2022, and it seems more relevant than ever to discuss what to do when big scary things are happening in the world. Do we protect our children and preserve their innocence as long as possible? And while that might be possible if you are a parent to a young child, if your child is elementary school-aged or older, this becomes an impossible task as they pick up so much at school.Now, if you've been listening for a while, you may have picked up on the fact that I believe our children are capable far beyond what they are typically given credit for. I personally don't subscribe to the idea that we must protect our children from what's happening in the world, but I also don't believe that we need to expose them to what we might think of as the harsh realities of life so that they are prepared for the real world.Our number one job is to help them make sense of and navigate their reality. This includes processing their emotions, understanding the contexts for their day-to-day life and activities, as well as building compassion for and connection to the lived experiences of other people (in a nutshell- social justice).With this in mind, I'm going to give you two guidelines for discussing heavy or challenging things with your child at any age. Because the specifics of what you say change as your child ages, but the foundation remains the same.Are you ready?--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/julia-mcgarey/support Get full access to The Blackbird Chronicles at juliamcgarey.substack.com/subscribe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit partneredpathparenting.substack.com