FEB 15, 2018 – Because many of my Cardthartic colleagues have school-age kids or grandkids, this morning I forwarded them an article I felt was really helpful and well done: How Mental Health Experts Talk to Their Kids About School Shootings. I found this part especially wise: For your own sake and your children’s, it’s critical that you make time to quell your own anxieties before diving into the issue at hand. “To have these conversations openly and honestly, you need to take care of yourself as a parent,” says Kristin Wilson, a licensed professional counselor and clinician with a teenage daughter. “Have your own support system in a spouse or friend or another go-to person so that, when you’re talking to your child, you’ve already processed through it.”
After reading the story, our Sales Coordinator Nikki Duge responded, “I needed this. I hate that my six-year-old is learning, seeing and hearing things that a six-year-old should never have to. It’s sad that we live in a time where this happens all too often, but this is the way it is now, and I want her to be as knowledgeable and prepared as possible.” Then Nikki shared, “This morning she came to give me a hug – the kind where you just need your mom to hold you for a bit to make things ok for that moment in time. I needed that hug, too.”
While considering Nikki’s strength and tenderness – and the monumental effort it will take to end gun violence – one of Mother Teresa’s classic quotes came to mind, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” So let’s do this: Think of a friend or family member to whom you could give one of our small magnets with great love. From the eight below, select one that would feel good to have on a home fridge or school locker, and we’ll know to send it FREE with orders placed before March 1st.
In these times of doubt, one sure thing we can do is help each other see the rainbows.
