#9 – What Do You Tell Them?

What do you tell your kids when the permafrost in the Arctic is melting at such a rate, that ground that is supposed to stay ice-hard is now more like ice cream and that they will some day be dealing with the ramifications of the gases that will be released into the atmosphere because of it?

What do you tell your kids when a hurricane has ravaged a city, not too far from them, so ruthlessly that tens of thousands of people have been affected by flooding that have destroyed homes, killed many, and displaced countless?

How do you tell your kids that the world is not a peaceful place? That bombs go off at random times in random places hurting lots and lots of innocent people?

How do you tell your kids who are so proud that their great-grandfather immigrated to this country from Italy through Ellis Island and went on to a build a prosperous life for his family in the land of promise and freedom – that immigrants today are no longer being offered that opportunity? Rather, this country  – their country by way of other countries – now has a huge closed sign on it?

How do you tell your kids who’s hero is Martin Luther King Jr. and who have recently learned, with much disbelief,  about the part of American history that has to do with slavery and race discrimination and the horrible mistreatment of people of color – that its beginning to feel a lot like we’ve gone back in time 60 years? And that maybe society hasn’t evolved as much as we really hoped it had?

I have no idea.

And so. My kids read as much Big Nate and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid as they want. We sing and dance to as much good music as we can. We sometimes watch The British Baking Show and ohh and aww at the talent of the awesome contestants. And we live vicariously through Harry Potter. The coolest, fiercest wizard around who fought the good fight against the darkest of evils with grace, intellect, and big, bold courage.

Maybe, for right now, that’s good enough.