ST. LOUIS — It's nearly impossible to shield your children from what’s happening in the world right now.
It has many parents fearing some of the important conversations they know they should have. So, how do you explain such a complex issue to little kids?
Roshanda Neal of Transforming Lives Counseling Services talked with Allie Corey via Zoom.
She said parents need to be having the tough conversations with their kids about protests and unrest because they're likely getting a lot of information and influence from social media and friends.
Neal also said if you stay silent, you lose control of the narrative. For the younger kids, she recommended using words they understand.
"A child may not understand the term harassment, but most children understand the concept of bullying. Racism can be a little bit more complicated, but for very young children they do understand favorites. So speaking to them on the ideas of you know some people have favorite people just because of the way that they look," Neal said.
For explaining social justice, Neal said to talk to kids about fairness and explain why some people aren't treated fairly.
She also recommended to ask kids how they feel so they can express their views and how they came to their opinions. Also, and this is really important, make sure you remind them they're loved and they're safe.
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