We took our chance to see Little Amal a while ago, thanks to @artsekta. And even though we were pushed for time, I’m so glad we went!
We walked up past the solidarity murals for Palestine at the Peace Wall and little one immediately slowed down and took it all in. He closely watched the paintings. His little brain was churning and processing.
I slowly followed and observed patiently.
He took my hand as we kept walking and gently but full of certainty he said ‘Those buildings are destroyed.”You’re right. They are.’ I replied. He pondered that for a moment. It took everything I had in me not to jump in, explain, rush, appease, or soothe him.
‘Then how are they going to go home?’
A sentence that simultaneously utterly broke my heart and filled it with so much hope.
How can a 3 year old see so clearly what most adults in the world are so numb to? It took him less than a minute to figure this out.
I said ‘ Right now they cannot go home. But I want you to know that there are many grown ups helping to fix that.”Are YOU fixing it?‘ he asked.
And what an utter RELIEF that we have already had many conversations about boycotting and divesting. His lack of Happy Meals had been sorely noted and seeing his proud smile as he made that connection was priceless. We have also passed a handful of protests, he’s made meaningful connections with kiddos from other cultures and has a loose grasp on what it means to be a refugee.
A couple of weeks later, we supported a fundraiser for a Palestinian teacher who was desperately trying to help their family flee Gaza. When I told him we’re going to go help, he started rummaging through his toy boxes. Eagerly, purposefully, enthusiastically. Eventually he emerged with his set of toy tools. A drill, a hammer, several nuts and bolts. He hadn’t forgotten about those destroyed homes. He was ready to rebuild.
It showed his capacity to both, be concerned for others and help in any way he can, and to not be overwhelmed by it because there was a time and place amidst his very safe and happy life.
I don’t go out of my way to involve kids in social justice and do shield them from media that shows harrowing scenes. For example, I don’t ever scroll my Instagram feed in their presence, there’s no news on the TV, their consumption is closely monitored.
But I also think there is a misconception that children feel safest when they think there is nothing bad happening in the world. Having studied childhood psychology and having spent 10 years with little ones I can say – that’s actually quite absurd.
Children know that hard things happen in the world. They just need to know that their adults are taking care of it.
So involve your kiddos, help them make sense of injustice in the world and teach them to relate to others as equals. I’ll leave you with a quote that comes to me most days that I parent.
‘’Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
― Arundhati Roy
With Love and Solidarity,
Patricia
#musings #parenting #activism