Conversing With Your Children About Haiti
Photo by Roger Clark, Missionary to Haiti, January 2010
You likely are aware that a terrible earthquake caused massive destruction in Haiti recently. In a land which already was the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and has experienced extreme hardship, this event has leveled a disastrous blow to its people. It is hard to process the degree of human suffering taking place as I type these words. It makes my thoughts seem so inadequate, as they truly are. Yet, I know that I am not alone in wanting to help in some way, as well as wanting to aid our children in their response to the news.
In addition to my pressing concern for the people of Haiti, I also feel burdened for the families and children in the local church. I love you. God loves you. And yes, God loves the people of Haiti (John 3:16-17). At times like this several questions likely arise. Questions like why did it happen? Who or what caused such a high level of suffering? What does it mean for us? What should we do in response?
So, here are a few simple suggestions. Use them at your discretion based on the specific needs of your children.
- Limit their media exposure. That is, don’t let them sit all day in front of the television or computer digesting constant video footage of tragedy. Same is true for newspaper articles.
- As a corollary, limit their social networking exposure. Some of your kids are on Facebook and possibly other social networking venues. The merits of them being on Facebook at a young age (before age 13) is a discussion for another time. However, there is a lot of debate going on right now concerning the Haiti issue in Facebook comment streams. Young children do not benefit from this kind of exposure. It is confusing. They need to learn from you, their parents, rather than various Facebook friends who might not be taking into account how their words affect children.
- When your children are ready to talk about Haiti, turn off all other distractions and devote your attention to them. In some cases, you might want to have private conversations. For example, if one child is 13 and another is 6, it might be worthwhile first to have separate conversations which are age appropriate.
- In your conversations, acknowledge the tragedy. Invite your children to share how they feel about it. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge your own sadness, but also reassure them with hope. They want to feel protected, loved, safe. You have power to give them that reassurance both in terms of your protection and sharing that God loves and protects them. Yes, sometimes bad things happen and we don’t know why, but even when they do, we can work through it together with God’s help. This is true even when bad things happen directly to us.
- Children tend to be natural born activists. They want to do something. Why not do something as a family? There are wonderful registered charities locally in Portland which have a presence in Haiti. Why not give something to them to aid the relief effort? Make it a family activity. Involve your children in the decision-making process (within parameters you set).
- Some children may point out that the $5 or $10, or even $100 that your family gives won’t go very far in helping the Haitians. Remind them that many others also are giving, and that together we can all make a difference.
Here is a brief list in no particular order of preference:
- Mercy Corps
- Medical Teams International
- Oregon Red Cross
- Oregon Justice Dept Advice re. Charitable Giving
Above all, pray with your children. You pray, and encourage them to pray, as well. Here are some ideas about how to pray:
- Pray for the people of Haiti who have lost loved ones and who are suffering.
- Pray that the most vulnerable in Haiti, particularly widows and orphans, will find help immediately in this desperate hour of need.
- Pray for those trying to rescue and provide relief.
- Pray for others around the world to give to legitimate charities who are present in Haiti.
- Pray for aid workers who are present and on their way to help.
- Pray that Haitian believers and pastors, and foreign missionaries will have opportunity to share the gospel openly.
