I feel as though the world was loud this weekend.
In some ways it was good. In some ways it was not so good.
We showed our kids both aspects.
Of course there were questions and confusion. Kids are so innocent. Their natural instinct is to love and trust which makes much of what is going difficult to understand. They understand why people are angry – that was the easiest to explain. But try explaining to a 9-year-old why breaking into a Nordstroms and stealing the clothes or lighting the grocery store on fire is legal and no one stops them. In his words, “That just doesn’t make sense. Not at all. Why did the police not stop them?” And then you realize as a parent, you don’t have all the answers.
And then I came across this quote by Nelson Mandela and it gave me hope.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom.
Hate appears to be prevalent (which is a learned behavior), but love can be taught and I can teach it within my home.
More love and more conversations…and less watching the news! 🙂
You are sorely misinformed. Breaking into Nordstrom and stealing clothes is against the law. It is NOT legal. Lighting a grocery store on fire is also illegal. What IS legal is to peacefully protest. Looting and rioting are illegal activities. Also, the police did, in fact, try to stop people.
Please educate yourself so that you can inform your children of their first amendment rights. It’s ironic that this post is on the heels of you boasting about how well you homeschooled your family.
I can see by the way I wrote it that it appeared I was teaching that it was legal, that was far from the case, I suppose it was a little tongue and cheek. It was really more of an explanation as to why it’s not legal but hard for the police to stop. (in a simple kid’s mind, we follow laws and if we don’t, we are disciplined – so why are these people not being disciplined?) We’ve had many talks about protests and how they’re used. My son was quick to point out Martin Luther King and his protests that changed history and the similarities to what is going on today. On a personal note, they saw protests of our teacher’s union when our schools shut down for two weeks when they teachers went on strike. They watched the teachers they leave peacefully protest. They understand that is within their rights. And please know that when I offer snippets into our lives and conversations, I’m only sharing a very brief glimpse, there is often far more depth and layers than I choose to share on the blog. But I appreciate your feedback, thanks for following along.