Talking to kids about current events

Many people have asked me how to explain to their children what is happening now in Ukraine. Many are frightened that nuclear war and MAD are imminent, others hear half-truths from friends in school about World War III, the end of civilsation, world famine and more impending disasters.  

Talk to your kids in an age appropriate way, teach them some of the history and background. I think it's also important to explain that in their grandparents' generation the world was brought close to a possible nuclear conflict, for example the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Yom Kippur War, this kind of brinkmanship has happened before surrounding other international conflicts and in the end nuclear war was avoided and the situation deescalated.

While nuclear war or some kind of WWIII is a remote possibility as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there are many other ways this could be resolved too, for example the ongoing negotiations being mediated by Israel between Russia and Ukraine. Nobody knows of course how this situation will end, but just because there is a worst case scenario doesn't mean there aren't also better ones. Many people are working behind the scenes to find a way for Putin to save face while ending the war and stepping back from the brink.

Explain to them honestly that a war between two major suppliers of the world's raw materials, from grain to fossil fuels, will have an impact on the world economy, cause food to become more expensive or lead to some shortages. I used this as an opportunity to chat with my older children about how markets work, supply and demand, inflation and necessity being the mother of invention. Don't overload with facts or lecture, try to engage with them about where our food comes from for example, what we produce locally, what we import. Try to put the current crisis in context, so that they can approach it in a matter of fact way rather than the hysteria they might be hearing from some media sources or peers.

My children were interested in hearing from elderly relatives who were children at the time of WWII and postwar rationing in Britain and Israel. Rather than frightening them they found it reassuring to know that children still had treats, that food might have been different but their grandparents and great uncles and aunts had good memories of their childhoods. Not that we are expecting rationing today, but it gave them a framework to understand that a long time ago there was upheaval, problems with supply of some foods and their grandparents and people adapted, got through it. 

Uncertainty is hard to deal with, but that is part of life and after the last couple of years we have become experts. People are resiliant, we as Israelis have dealt with many crises and come through them. It is OK to be scared and it is OK to feel stressed from all the uncertainty, it's important to talk and find a broader context and perspective from which to view current events.