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Quote of the Week
"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding" --Albert Einstein
Talking To Children About Conflict And War
"No matter where in the world you live, it's hard to watch the news from Ukraine. Bombing of civilian areas, fleeing citizens, ordinary people standing in front of tanks. The news is constant, so our children, particularly older kids, can't help becoming aware of it. And because the conflict is upsetting to us, and the violence is so senseless, it can be hard to answer our children's questions about it."
This week we offer a few resources to help you discuss war and conflict with children.
1) This UNICEF article offers a good overview and tips on how to comfort and support children.
2) Very Well Mind discusses the topic from the lens of mental and emotional wellbeing, focusing on how to help children process their emotions around war.
3) Dr. Laura Markham offers the language that is most appropriate to use to answer questions about war with children of different age groups.
Reading Corner
 Title: Why War Is Never a Good Idea
By: Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple)
Ages: 8+
"Though War has a mind of its own / War never knows / Who / It is going / To hit," writes Alice Walker, who won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for The Color Purple. This compelling children's book is recommended for all ages, except the very young. Perhaps it can serve as a counterpoint to the constant media attention promoting war as the way to freedom. In history books, children learn to see military leaders as victors and heroes. Almost nothing is said about peacemakers and those who follow their consciences by declaring all wars as immoral and insane.
Thank God for books like this one that expose the random violence of war: "War has bad manners / War eats everything / In its path." This book shows the ways it destroys human beings, homes, villages, animals, and the natural world. War is not pretty, and it is not redemptive. Walker's poetry sears the soul and the evocative paintings of Stefano Vitale add further emphasis to the anti-war messages of the book."
Review by: Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (from SpiritualityandPractice.com)
Recommended by Kindful Kids Editors
Be The Change
Spend some time this week asking your children how they are feeling about what's happening in the world. Be present to tune into their emotions and how they are processing what they know. Use the resources from this week's articles to offer additional insights, where helpful.
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