{"id":4283,"date":"2016-10-27T00:11:55","date_gmt":"2016-10-27T06:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mops.org\/?p=4283"},"modified":"2016-10-27T00:11:55","modified_gmt":"2016-10-27T06:11:55","slug":"raising-healthy-kids-in-a-hate-filled-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/raising-healthy-kids-in-a-hate-filled-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising Healthy Kids in a Hate-filled World"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am a mother of three girls, and for me, raising healthy kids today\u2019s world feels impossible at times. So far in 2016 we have grieved as we watched Brussels, Orlando, Istanbul, Nice, and many other cities come under terrorist attack. We have struggled to determine which life matters most. We have questioned the right to stand or sit during the National Anthem. We have searched to find truth in a brutal fight for the US Presidency. Hate narratives fill our newspapers, airways, and social media feeds making it hard to see good in humanity. Below are some simple ideas for helping kids find love in an angry world.<\/p>\n

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  1. Look for the helpers. <\/strong>When bad things happen, I encourage my kids to look for the helpers. Look for the heroes carrying the weak. Look for the first responders, the life-riskers, and the difference makers helping the hurting. Look for the peacemakers standing for justice, kindness, and love. Too often the helpers do not get as much attention as the oppressors, but teaching our kids to lean in close to find the helpers could be their first step \u2013 no matter how small \u2013 away from hate and fear.<\/li>\n
  2. Tell the love narrative. <\/strong>My family lives in Louisiana, and our state has had a rough summer. In July, news crews flocked to broadcast the hate narrative of the shootings in Baton Rouge. The world watched as hate-filled violence permeated our streets. However, in August, when a flood devastated that same city along with much of south Louisiana affecting over 500,000 people \u2013 11% of our population \u2013 news crews didn\u2019t appear interested in the story.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I value justice, and I believe difficult stories need to be told. Shouldn\u2019t stories of human struggle, perseverance, and love be told as well? Doesn\u2019t a world overwhelmed by terror need to know about the one-another stories happening all around them? Stories of neighbors helping neighbors, of families opening their homes to strangers, of fishermen using their boats to rescue people from their flooded homes (do a web search for \u201cCajun Navy\u201d), and of cooks showing up to shelters with their personal grills and gumbo pots to feed flood victims. Hate narratives might sell newspapers, but a love narrative \u2013 the Kingdom of God narrative \u2013 inspires people to live differently. Easy ways to speak a love narrative in the everyday includes:<\/p>\n