Hey Parents - Let's Talk About The News And Your Kids

Let’s talk about TEW. Now, I know what you are thinking. “What the heck is TEW”? So I’ll tell you exactly what it is - the three things that plague our TV screens, newspapers and social media. Terrorism, environment and war.

I’m sure many of you find yourself tuning into the news over and over again, discussing it with people around you, maybe even in front of your kids. You probably don’t even realize that you're doing it. I’ve been speaking often lately with young people about these three things and I’ll tell you what you already know - they are terrified. With media and news being everywhere these days, it seems impossible for them to NOT hear about all the negative things in the world. My question to you is, how do you, as parents, help your kids to not live in fear? I’ll tell you what I do - I do not watch the news. I am aware of what is happening but I choose to shift to all the positive going on in the world, and there is plenty.

I know that for a lot of you this seems like a hard task. You want to help your kids and leave them with a better world...but YOU are stressed out, YOU are worried and YOU are angry. The key is, you need to have something to do to relieve your own stress. If you say you don't have time - make time, because this is more important for your kids than you know. Trust me, they pick up on your energy. According to an American Psychological Association (APA) study 90 percent of kids say they know when their parents are stressed and as a result, many of the kids reported they felt sad, worried, and frustrated. So there you have it, your stress affects your kids as much as it affects you. For me, I relieve my stress and focus on the positive by working out and meditating. It helps me clear my brain of all the negative chatter out there. I don’t care what your outlet is, but find it and do it. You owe it to yourself and you owe it to your kids.

I do get criticized a lot for not living in the real world...but what most people do is not live, they dwell and they linger. I choose to keep my energy high and positive, it’s who I am - and you can do the same thing. I promise you though, I do not bury my head in the sand. It is more important to do something about issues you feel passionate about, instead of dwelling on them. So my question is, what are you doing to keep your head in a positive zone? What are you doing to make a difference in your community? What kind of action are you taking?

Kids - I’m coming for you next.

Much happy

~SJW