Latest / The Christy-Faith Show / Ep. 84 - Shielding or Sharing? Talking to Children About Charlie Kirk and the News

Transcript

Ep. 84 - Shielding or Sharing? Talking to Children About Charlie Kirk and the News · The Christy-Faith Show

• 0:00
  Christy-Faith: As parents, we're constantly faced with the challenge of knowing how much to share with our kids and when to step in to protect them. When tragedy strikes like the loss of Charlie Kirk, it can be hard to find the right balance with our families. Do we shield our children? What is appropriate for their age and their personality and their development? These are real concerns we all share, and I'm in this with you.
• 0:25
  I have an elementary student, two junior high students, and a high school student, so it's been really difficult to balance the big questions our teenager is asking while trying to also make sure that our youngest is shielded and feels safe. We all want to raise kids who are strong and thoughtful and prepared for the world without overwhelming them or causing fear. We don't wanna cause trauma in our children. Yet, we know that if we're not the ones guiding them through difficult moments like this in our country, someone else will fill that gap. Someone else will answer their hard questions and not always with the truth or the values that we hold dear as a family.
• 1:05
  You know it and I know it. The world isn't slowing down. Our kids are watching, and they're listening, and they are learning every day, whether it's from us or from somebody else. This episode is for parents who want to respond with both courage and care, giving their children what they need and when they need it most. We're not gonna shy away from what happened in our country because this is real life, and I've been asking myself the question, how do I talk to my kids about this?
• 1:34
  So I'm sure you're asking the question too. So let's look at what the research says. I wish I didn't have to make this show today, but I do, and I'm glad you're here. Hello, and welcome to the show, everyone. I am Christy Faith, Christian, conservative, and an unapologetic homeschool mom.
• 2:02
  I believe parents are called to be the first and strongest defenders of their children, not passive bystanders as their faith, values, and freedom are eroded by a flawed system. I walked away from the school system because I saw what was being taught and what wasn't. Today's episode will equip you to talk to your kids boldly and intelligently about Charlie Kirk's murder, free speech, and the truth that this nation depends on. So the first thing that I wanna talk about today is how to talk to our younger kids, and I think what's important to do here is to ground ourself in research and facts. Research published in the journal Pediatrics has found that children exposed to violent news reports are more likely to suffer from anxiety, and that is please with your younger children, guard them from the news.
• 2:50
  I'm not saying lie to our kids. I'm saying we need to be careful about what goes in their little eyes and their little minds because we cannot undo what is out there in the world. Once you see something, you can't unsee it. Once you hear something, you can't unhear it. Research published in the journal Pediatrics has found that children exposed to violent news reports are more likely to suffer from anxiety, nightmares, and even symptoms of post traumatic stress.
• 3:17
  According to a 2020 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry report, young children simply do not possess the cognitive tools to process tragedy or complex issues delivered by news outlets. Their developing brains are vulnerable, not only to fear, but to confusion caused by adult narratives and biases. When the media shapes tragedy with an agenda, it does more than inform. It sows seeds of fear and distrust. I think the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer are important here.
• 3:51
  The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children. If we let the media's narrative take root, we are leaving our children a world of anxiety and confusion. Now you might be thinking, like, okay, but this is this sounds like sheltering, Christy. And I wanna make a very clear distinction here. Shielding our kids from trauma, both capital t and lowercase t, isn't making them more fragile.
• 4:17
  In my book, I write about this, and I also talk about this when I go to conferences about this myth of sheltering our kids, and our kids need to be exposed so that they toughen up. We know that this is not actually true. We know that when kids experience ongoing trauma in their younger years, that makes a fragile adult. But when kids have safety, secure attachment, strong family bonds, that is what makes them more resilient. So, no, this isn't about making our kids fragile.
• 4:47
  It's about building a foundation of truth, faith, and confidence for when they are mature enough to bear reality. And I know you've probably experienced this too where you've heard a news article or heard something on talk radio and your kid overheard it, and then they came to you scared that something might happen to them. Right? I know it's happened to most of us. It happened recently when we were discussing state testing, and I remember my youngest, it was her very first year of doing it, and she was so scared that she wouldn't score well enough, and she was actually worried that we would not have the right to homeschool anymore or that she could be taken away.
• 5:25
  Was there anything that we ever told her that led her to believe that this could possibly be the case? Absolutely not. The reason why I'm telling you this story is to remember that our kids don't perceive the world as we do. They do not have the cognitive development, the screening. They can't see biases like we can, and it's really hard for them to process everything.
• 5:46
  So, unfortunately, when the news first broke and I got on TikTok, I actually saw the shooting of Charlie Kirk on social media. We immediately and so did Scott. We almost it just kinda was showing up in the feeds where we weren't even understanding what we were really seeing. Right? You know, those early fuzzy pictures that were coming out.
• 6:06
  And immediately, Scott and I looked at each other and we said, our children cannot see this. I'm so glad that we made that distinction because, of course, we have a teenager who's curious. Right? But what you see, you cannot unsee. And the research is clear.
• 6:19
  We need to limit our young children's news exposure. We need to talk to them about complex things in more simple ways. And if you are a Christian like I am with faith filled hope terms and reinforce what is good, beautiful, and true, and how good our God is despite a massive tragedy. So if your child asks, what happened to Charlie Kirk? One thing that you can do is get on their level and say, he was a brave man who stood up for what was right, and now he's with the Lord.
• 6:51
  Give your kids security, peace, and clarity because the headlines never will. Now how do we talk to our older kids? We'll get into that right after the break. As a homeschool mom who values a family together approach and leans towards the classical and Charlotte Mason styles. I often struggle to bring my educational vision to life with my kids' diverse ages and learning needs.
• 7:11
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• 7:35
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• 8:14
  If you like my social media content and my show, I'm pretty sure you will love my book, Shattering Myths, Finding Courage, and Opting Out of the School System. My book is for homeschool parents, both veteran and new, and the perfect book to hand any homeschool skeptics in your life so they can better understand why you've chosen this amazing lifestyle. This book will challenge you, empower you, encourage you, and give you solid, mindful answers to all those questions you get about your homeschooling choice. Grab your copy and maybe an extra one for your mother-in-law today. Homeschool Rising is available wherever books are sold.
• 8:54
  Now let's talk about teens and tweens. Okay. So this age group is desperate for meaning and truth. They are starting to ask the big questions of life, and they also know when we are trying to protect them or maybe shield them, and they are quite curious. But what we need to communicate to these kiddos is though they are desperate for meaning and truth, our world today is increasingly hostile to both.
• 9:21
  Recent data from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression shows that sixty three percent of college students report self censoring of their ideas, and one in five students worry about punishment for simply speaking their minds on campus. We'd be fools to think this atmosphere isn't already in our middle and high schools in America. I remember censoring myself in high school worried that I would get a bad grade on an opinion essay if I actually shared my real opinion as a Christian and a political conservative. So are teens ready to see the gruesome details of horrific tragedies online? No.
• 9:57
  I don't even think I am. I really wish I never saw that myself. It's always in my mind now. So, yes, shield them to an extent, but this is the time where you can really teach your teens and tweens what matters most and why there is a necessary conversation that needs to happen in our society today. For example, we can talk to our teens about why free speech matters.
• 10:23
  I'm sure the issue of gun control is coming up in your household today. You're seeing a lot on rhetoric and spinning. These are all really great conversations that we can have with our older kids. And something that has really been hitting home for me lately because Charlie Kirk was murdered, assassinated for an opinion, and for exercising free speech. We've been having a lot of conversations in our home that you cannot have a free society if you do not have free speech.
• 10:53
  George Washington said, if freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter. Free speech isn't just one issue that's floating around. It's actually the foundation of every other liberty. Without it, we cannot challenge bad ideas, hold leaders accountable, or share the gospel. That's why the first amendment comes first.
• 11:17
  Now I'm not saying lecture your kids. No. But let's sharpen all of our minds. Let's have conversations with our older kids around the dinner table. What happens if speaking the truth becomes dangerous?
• 11:29
  How would your world shrink if you had to hide what you believe? Make it personal and make it real. Show them the stories. Talk about history. What happened during those dark times of socialism and communism?
• 11:41
  Reference what's happening in the news and in their social world. Help your older kids trace the line between Charlie Kirk's work and their own ability to express faith and ideas without fear. Because I can guarantee you these conversations are probably not happening in our public schools this week. It's also important to give our older kids permission to feel, to feel the loss, to feel angry about injustice. And I'm gonna quote Bonhoeffer again.
• 12:09
  He said, silence in the face of evil is itself evil. What did he mean by that? Have that conversation with your family. As things start to unfold, have those continued conversations in your household. Okay.
• 12:22
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• 12:53
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• 13:24
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• 13:44
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• 14:03
  Use code Christy Faith fifteen and get 15% off your first order at azurestandard.com. That's Christy Faith fifteen at a z u r e standard dot com. Okay. So as you guys know, I am a historian. And when things like this happen, I often look to history of similar examples and what happened after that to help inform me as to what is really going on, what we could possibly expect, and how to handle it.
• 14:32
  And the sobering truth is that history shows us that when parents abdicate their responsibility, the state steps in and freedom falters. Throughout time, strong families have always been the backbone of a free and thriving society. The battle for America is ultimately decided in the home. There are people who have an agenda to distance children from their parents, to undermine family values, and to make the state the ultimate authority. As parents, we are the firewall between our children and any ideology that wants to steal their innocence and their liberty.
• 15:11
  Remember when Ronald Reagan famously warned us, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction? That's something to really think about right now. But I also wanna have hope because hope is found in action. What do we do about all this? When we teach our kids to defend faith, freedom, and truth, we're not just helping our own family and making sure that our kids don't fall prey to ideas that are incredibly damaging to themselves and to our country.
• 15:39
  We're also shaping the nation's future. I homeschool for a lot of reasons, and I'm sure you do too. I truly believe that it is the homeschooled kids in our nation that could possibly save our country one day, because we are making sure that our children understand what freedom is and how to keep it. With homeschooling, we have the opportunity to raise Daniels and Esther's young people who will stand strong and refuse to bow to the idol of cultural conformity. So as you're navigating all these big feelings that you are having yourself and your kids are having too, trying to figure out how to protect them, what conversations are appropriate to say, what's not.
• 16:18
  You know, I can't give you an age group or anything like that. You know your children best. You know what they're ready for. But I will say this, as a guideline, on the side of being conservative with their exposure. Just because you can never unsee and you can never unhear things that you see and hear.
• 16:36
  So do we shelter our kids? Absolutely not. Do we try to reduce the amount of trauma that they're gonna have in their childhoods? Yes. Absolutely.
• 16:44
  And that does not mean that they're not gonna toughen up. That is such a myth. It's crazy that people think that. So here's a quick action plan. Number one, turn off the news for younger kids.
• 16:54
  Study after study showed that young children exposed to the news exhibit symptoms of PTSD. So just turn it off when they're around. Be prudent with your teens and tweens. They are hungry for these more intellectual conversations and lean into those. And in doing so, we can honor Charlie Kirk's legacy.
• 17:15
  We can equip our children with truth, faith, and reason because together, we can take back our families, our faith, and our freedom. Thank you for listening to the show today. If this episode made you think or you found even one thing valuable, please go ahead and pass it on to a friend because as a homeschool community, we can raise a generation that values freedom and knows how to defend it. See you next time.