So much has happened in the last week – life has been moving fast. In case you missed it, I went live on YouTube on Tuesday with Dr. Carla. We talked about how to talk with your kids about current events.

Dr. Carla and I have been talking a lot about the critical conversations that grown ups have with children. We shared our 5 steps because we wanted to give you some structure for the moments when it feels like chaos.

Here are the 5 steps:
1. Breath – Do not freak out. (If you need to freak out, do it in private, away from kids).
2. Collect information with curiosity. Ask questions and listen to the answers. This is not (yet) the moment for your wisdom and teaching, that comes later.
3. Assess physical and mental health needs. This lets you know how quickly you need to act or if you have some time to create your plan.
4. Create a plan and implement it. This includes talking with your kids about the plan you are putting in place.
5. Follow up. Having a good maintenance plan can take this one teaching moment in time and turns it into a lifelong lesson.

It can feel hard to move through these steps because you want to jump right to step 4 and start making changes. Though the conversations will go smoother and your kids will absorb more if you take the time to go through steps 1, 2, and 3 first.

Want to hear how these steps work in action? Then watch Dr. Carla and I discuss current events using these steps in the video above. We know that the next few months will be charged with political ups and downs. We are not here to influence what you believe, that is personal and we honor your beliefs. We are here to help you strengthen your skills to talk with your kids about those beliefs.

Blue skies – Dr. Marcie