As some of you know I spent a very little time in Russia in 1994 and hosted a few Russian exchange students in my high school days prior to that trip. I also studied Russian language and culture for about 6 years during the 1990s and my heart is breaking for those in the Ukraine and Russia both. In talking to our children about war, and specifically the situation we see unfolding this past week, I have a few suggestions simplified into four points.
1) Don’t downplay events but don’t exaggerate the threat to them personally. Your kids are safe.
2) Use a globe or map to show them where conflict is happening. This helps them to see they aren't immediately in danger of the Russians showing up on their doorstep.
3) Give them a short history lesson. It helps for them to understand why Ukraine is being targeted by Russia. The news loves to say it was unpredicted and shocking but really Putin has been saying he wanted to do this for years. He started in Georgia and then moved to Crimea. It is evil, but not random.
4) Pray together for the people of Russia and Ukraine both, and for world leaders.
I covered these in a not so brief (sorry!) video on my instagram page, so if you want more check that out. The Instagram video also includes a brief history lesson of the region in case you haven't been taking notes during the evening news. Lastly, take some breaks from the coverage if it seems like you or your child are getting anxious.
Thanks for stopping by!
