Hi everyone, I'm Caitlin. Um, so glad you're here today. This is How to Be a Grown Up. This is the how-to show for moms who are ready to take to the streets right now. So we're seeing Americans, young and old, um, take to the streets protesting our current uh political climate, actions being taken or not taken by people in power. And I want to provide you some resources to discuss these protests with your kids because it's all over the news. And if your child has any form of social media access, they're gonna be seeing clips and stuff. So I want to make sure that you feel equipped to handle the conversation about these protests. Hopefully you'll you'll find these resources helpful. So before we do that, I want to remind you um we are a teeny tiny little podcast, and we would love your subscription. We would love for you to join us, we'd love for you to follow us. I have weekly email updates I send out to remind you that there's an episode. Uh, you can find us on social, but for now, please subscribe to the show and let's get started. Hey, y'all. POV, you find a diary exposing forbidden magic, and the hot museum caretaker's life depends on you burning it. Roots and Inc., the debut novel by Ariela Monti, is the fantasy romance for rebels. Use promo code CK and GK to get 20% off your copy at arielemonte.com. Again, that's all caps, C K A N D G K for 20% off on Ariellamonti.com. Get your copy for 20% off today. So, my goal for this episode, it's similar to the one that I had last week when I was talking about family politics. We're modeling our values, right? Respect boundaries, standing up for what you believe in. And we're also trying to not, we're trying not to turn our child into a political clone of ourselves. We're trying instead to inform them so they can make smart decisions and become citizens because that's what they are. That said, I am not here to tell you what actions to take. We try very, very hard to remain, you know, neutral in terms of political party. Um, that's getting very difficult to do. And I personally am not a neutral person. I am on the side of constitutional rights, and I'm on the side of treating humans with dignity. That said, I am here to provide you with practical, actionable advice for dealing with whatever life throws at you. And right now, with protests taking place all over the country, perhaps even on your block, uh, there's a high probability that your child is going to ask you about them. Um, there are children taking part in walkouts in Minnesota and other states. So I want to make sure that you feel informed to talk about this with them. Again, y'all know my favorite thing is a sentence frame because if it's me, I need someone to tell me exactly what to say and then fill in the blanks. Okay, so I've broken down these sentence frames into sections for younger kids, tweens, and then teenagers, just like I have in the past couple of episodes. So the first group is that four to eight range. Your goals are to keep it concrete and values-based, and you're gonna highlight that protest is something people are allowed to do. So the question of what is a protest could come up. Your response is a protest is when people get together to say, we think something is unfair and we want leaders to change it. When they see crowds or police on TV, you're gonna say, those people are using their voices to tell leaders how they feel. Sometimes it can look loud or intense, but most people are there because they care a lot about making things fair. If they ask, is it dangerous? Because they might. And this is a difficult question right now. Sometimes protests can get a little unsafe, and that's why adults plan carefully and follow rules to stay safe. Our job is to make safe choices for our family. I brought it back home to the family. What our job is, is to keep you safe as much as possible. For that tween group, that nine to twelve range, which is such a hard range, I'm in it right now, and they understand so much, but there's still a lot that you want to, you know, maybe not expose them to. So the goal there is to add some nuance without catastrophizing. You don't want to add additional anxiety into what's going on. And you're gonna introduce rights and responsibilities. So if they say, why are people protesting? You might say people feel that a rule or decision is hurting others or taking away rights. And protesting is one way they try to change that, along with voting and talking to their leaders. When they ask about safety and risk, you can say most protests are peaceful, but any big crowd can be unpredictable. And adults who go to protests often plan how to stay safe and look out for each other. And that's not, that's not a lie right now, right? We're seeing lots of people who are posting information about how to stay safe and what precautions you can take if you do take yourself out to the streets. If they want to go and you don't feel comfortable with that, having your nine to 12-year-old attend a protest with you, which is completely reasonable, especially right now. You can say, I love that you want to stand up for what you believe in. Right now, I don't feel comfortable taking you to a big protest, but here's another way we can speak up together. And you're gonna offer some alternatives, like we can write cards to people affected, we can call and email our representatives, and we can make a sign and take a photo to share online, or we can put it in our window. Those are all ways that they can actively participate and being involved, and you don't have to be concerned about them attending a protest. Teenagers are where it gets a little bit trickier, right? Because with teenagers, there's so much more they can understand, and you're preparing them to be citizens. So your goals with teenagers, this is 13 and above, is to treat them as emerging citizens and participants. And you're gonna emphasize preparation and values. For talking about why you protest or don't protest, you're gonna say, when I go to or skip, whichever, a protest, I'm thinking about both my values and my safety. Here's how I decide. And then you would list the reasons that you've decided. If they want to attend, again, that's a little scary, right? Let's talk through what this protest is about, who's organizing it, and what safety plans are in place. Then we'll decide together what makes sense for you. And to model disagreement respectfully, without using the word respectfully, you might end up caring about different issues than I do, and that's okay. What matters to me is that you learn to base your opinions on good information and treat people with dignity. So here's kind of the closing and takeaways of this episode. A three-point summary you might provide. People protest when something feels very unfair, they want their leaders to listen, and they hope their actions will change things or help change things. So here's what I'd like you to do. Pick one script from today, put it in your notes app. And if you use any of these lines and it goes well, or you know, doesn't, whatever, because we're all humans and we're all gonna mess up sometimes, if not regularly, right? Email or DM me. I'd love to hear your story, and I'd love to share it in an episode. Um, I would do it anonymously, of course. None of us are getting this right on the first try, so I would really love to make sure that uh I honor your story. Next week, we're talking, or I'm sharing, some resources and tips for self care and boundaries for moms who are balancing caregiving, activism, and work, and trying to be normal while there's so much chaos around us. Subscribe now so you don't miss it. And I'll see you next week. Bye.