The news media has been replete with stories of the sad situation with immigrant families at the US borders, especially what has been happening with children. One very sad recent story was about a father and daughter who drowned while attempting to cross over the Rio Grande River from Mexico to Texas. It is very difficult for children to comprehend tragic news and the controversial situation with immigrants does not appear to have any resolution soon. As a parent, you have a responsibility to assist your children to understand what is happening as well as to make sure that they are getting information from reliable sources and not “fake news”.
There are many articles on the internet with advice to help parents. Of course, the recommendations center on talking with your children based on what is age appropriate for each of them. One expert suggests that parents should start with discussions of family history – where did various members of your family come from? How did they get to the U.S.? Why did they leave the countries they were from? I think this is a wonderful suggestion as it helps children to understand how their own family members were involved with immigration.
Reading and discussing books about the history of immigration in the U.S. and the struggles that individuals have gone through are also good ways to learn about what has happened in our nation’s history and what is happening now. In the links below, books for children of all ages about immigration are suggested.
Raising compassionate and intelligent children requires that they be informed as best as possible about what is happening with immigration in our country. They will likely hear the news from someone else, so as a parent, talking with them and helping them to understand the issues involved is critical.
For more information, please visit these websites. Please also note that although I have these websites listed, I do not agree with everything they say, but they are, nevertheless, good sources of information.