{"id":6311,"date":"2019-11-01T09:52:49","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T06:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africasustainabilitymatters.com\/?p=6311"},"modified":"2026-01-11T05:30:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:30:39","slug":"advice-for-when-your-kid-asks-about-the-climate-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/2019\/11\/01\/advice-for-when-your-kid-asks-about-the-climate-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice For When Your Kid Asks About The Climate Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Katherine Martinko<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s\na conversation most parents don’t want to have, but it’s necessary.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe past year, I’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of times my\noldest child asks about climate change. He hears it mentioned on the radio, by\nhis teacher at school, in conversations between me and his dad, and sees it in\nthe titles of the books and articles I read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nmuch as I want to satisfy his intellectual curiosity and inform him of the\nworld in which he lives, it’s a tough conversation to have and never gets any\neasier. I don’t want him to become discouraged or depressed, to lack hope for\nhis future or to feel anger at his parents’ and grandparents’ seeming inability\nto fix the problem. And yet, these conversations must be had because our\nchildren deserve to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s\nwhere a recent episode of NPR’s Life Kit Podcast could come in handy \u2013 not only\nfor me, but all parents of climate-curious children. The title is ‘How\nto talk to children about the climate crisis<\/a>‘ and it offers practical tips\nfor navigating strong feelings and “moving beyond helplessness toward\naction.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfirst most important step is to “break the silence.”<\/strong> Many\nadults are uncomfortable talking about the climate crisis even among each\nother, despite knowing the science is accurate. But we have to start talking\nabout it in order to open up the conversation with our children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next,\nkids need basic facts.<\/strong> These can be selected by\nparents not to be too overwhelming or horrifying, but enough to illustrate a\nrealistic picture of the situation and not water down the facts that they’ll\ninevitably learn elsewhere. Don’t leave it up to schools to educate, but spend\ntime with your child reading a book or watching a documentary, then discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s\nimportant for parents to be tuned in to their kid’s emotions,<\/strong> as\nintense feelings can result from learning about the climate crisis.\nEnvironmental psychologist Susie Burke suggests ’emotion-based coping,’ which\nmeans spending time doing pleasurable, positive activities with people we love\nas an antidote to the overwhelm. Spending time outside is always worthwhile,\nand it fosters a love of nature, a prerequisite for climate activism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help\nyour kid to engage actively in the fight for the climate.<\/strong> Find\nout what local groups are doing and take your kid to attend protests, plant\ntrees, pick up trash, attend city council meetings, tend a community garden\nplot, or start a petition, if that’s what they want to do. At home, consider\neliminating meat and dairy from your family’s diet for breakfast and lunch, as\nsuggested by Jonathan Safran Foer in his newest book, We Are The\nWeather<\/em>. I insist on my children walking and riding their bikes as much as\npossible, explaining why we have to leave the car at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s important to be hopeful, to reassure children that people\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0taking action<\/strong>, that their own individual actions matter, that it’s OK to take a mental break and feel like a carefree kid enjoying childhood. NPR cites psychologist Susan Burke: “[Another] path to coping with a stressor like a climate change is meaning-focused coping. This is about thinking: how to frame the problem so that we can continue to hope and not collapse into cynicism, apathy or despair.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not\nmentioned in the podcast, but something I strive for is to be an\nexample for my kids<\/strong>. In the words of author Peter Kalmus, “I try to\nlive a life that\u2019s informed by my knowledge and acceptance of global warming, a\nlife that\u2019s consistent with my values. If my boys ask me something, I answer as\nhonestly as I can. I certainly never go out of my way to scare them, but I\ndon\u2019t lie to them either.” Fear is not constructive, but practical\nexamples are. Teach your child actively how to live by cooking from scratch,\nwalking to school, refusing plastic, choosing vegetarian, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are tough talks for tough times, but it’s better to face them head-on than to deny their necessity. Your child will appreciate you more for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Original article source treehugger<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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