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"How do you help your kid understand that the world you brought them into is quickly collapsing?" I'd say as a parent it would be pretty irresponsible to say a
by fsloth 7y ago
"How do you help your kid understand that the world you brought them into is quickly collapsing?"
I'd say as a parent it would be pretty irresponsible to say anything that would make the kid feel any sudden anxiety.
We don't really talk about it. If our kids express their worry the we will say the truth - biomes are not doing too good. But we don't really consider it as some major doomsday looming over.
Personally I was really anxious as a kid. I was really scared when I learned that one day sun will turn to red giant and destroy earth. Ditto about asteroids. The Amazon (30 years ago as kid I refused to eat at McDonalds for a while). And there were also actual bad things happening to people close to me - but you get the point. Easily distressed.
As an adult, I see no way this existential anxiety would have done any good to me.
So, as a parent I play it cool. And besides, we don't know what is going to happen. It's not going to be rainbows and sunshine ... but really. If you were with a kid on a train to Auschwitz, would you tell them me and him would soon be gassed to death, or lie to them it's all going to be fine. I'd lie.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- abootstrapper 7y agoI think it depends a lot on their age and maturity.
- eli_gottlieb 7y ago>So, as a parent I play it cool. And besides, we don't know what is going to happen. It's not going to be rainbows and sunshine ... but really. If you were with a kid on a train to Auschwitz, would you tell them me and him would soon be gassed to death, or lie to them it's all going to be fine. I'd lie. Well, at least you're admitting climate change is worse than the Holocaust.
- fsloth 7y agoMy point was that as a parent its not ones duty to explain to the child all the things they should be worried about, but to rather maintain their sense of safety. Please don't strawman me, it's not polite.
- anigbrowl 7y agoTo use your closing example, that sort of fatalistic passivity is how you end up on the train in the first place. It's better to fight for your freedom than to meekly accept it and everything else being taken away from you.
- sifar 7y agoLife is Beautiful :). I agree it is a dilemma. For some problems you can make them aware without raising the anxiety level. For some, you just have to hide/overcome your own fears and say that it is/things are alright. Sometimes, kids just need that reassurance from the parent, even if they know that things may not be alright.