[UPDATED] Parents What Do You Need Right Now?

As we enter our 2020 Back to School season, parents, what do you need right now? Watch this video and reply by leaving a comment if you have a specific need that you want help with, and/or if you have a resource suggestion to help others.

UPDATE – The resource list is growing. The first one has now been posted here on the blog.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/DeBHLBjZTbI

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Send My Back to School Help Email

• Resource No. 1 – click here
• Resource Archives – click here

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Very Personal Family Celebration of Juneteenth

I discovered the names of fugitive slaves in our family who were later emancipated #Juneteenth #freedom #ancestry

DISCOVERING FAMILY HISTORY RECORDS WITH NAMES OF ESCAPED SLAVES IS LIBERATING

My father researched our genealogy & passed that job to me before he went to heaven. As I recently discovered the names of escaped slaves in our family, my heart leaped. I can only imagine how Juneteenth would have made their hearts leap to no longer be fugitives.

Sam Smith (left), Family History Researcher

I am now passing down research to my children, too. Knowledge is power. Understanding how your own family fits into history is truly powerful.

[HOMEWORK FOR PARENTS] Helping Your Children Navigate Racial Trauma

Dear Parents, Know that, as I say this, I am both empathetic and compassionate: you have a responsibility, no matter your ethnicity/ies, to guide your children through the racial trauma of our times. Even if you don’t think they could possibly know what is going on in the world, they do. They may not have the words to express it, but they feel it and they see it.

BUT HOW?

How can I help them when I am confused and traumatized myself?

Great Question!

Start by dealing with your own trauma, instead of ignoring it or stuffing it down with wine or food or streaming binges. Trust me, I’ve been doing my own stuffing, and it’s not healthy for me physically nor emotionally. So, I finally had to start dealing with it because I was so emotionally exhausted from crying after hearing every news report. Here are suggestions based on things I’ve been doing that have helped tremendously.

• Allow yourself to feel the pain and cry/scream… for like 5 minutes. Get it all out. Then stop. Set a timer, if needed.
• Keep a daily private journal about your thoughts and feelings. Just write a few sentences, or more if that’s your thing. If you don’t like pen or paper, type it into the notes feature built into your smart phone.
• Read & Pray. Have a two way dialogue with God, based on the promises He has already given you in His Holy Word. So, reading is one way to listen to Him because the Bible is his living word. Then talk back with him verbally, or by writing in your journal. [Suggestion: start by reading in the Bible App, and join one of the relevant updated Bible Studies there to guide & focus your study.]
• Engage in constructive conversations with family, friends, neighbors, and community members that you trust to be honest and open hearted. You don’t all have to agree, but you must all share truthfully and listen to one another with open hearts AND with respect. This can be in person, by phone, over zoom, or through messaging.
• Take decisive action. Join a boycott. Sign a petition. Call or write a letter to your governmental leaders and representatives. Volunteer to support a political candidate. MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE CANNOT BE IGNORED.

One notable thing about all of this is that your children will be so encouraged to start understanding their own feelings. Even young children will begin to ask you questions, and…

…you’ll be equipped to guide them into clarity because you did your own work first.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR PARENTS

There is so much more I could say on this, but I’ll stop here. I want you to digest this advice AND to actually do it. Use the contact form to reach out and let me know one thing that you saw differently or got confirmation about after reading this blog article.

RECOMMENDED READING

About Anxiety: God bless you… and don’t let anxiety kill you or hurt your family. [Cick here to read articles about dealing with anxiety in homeschool.]

About Identity, Race & Combatting Bullying: I was blessed to connect with an author who is also a social worker. She has created books for children and women around issues related to identity, race, body image, and more. View her Instagram post about her books below:

View this post on Instagram

In a world where hatred is still alive and the ability to live freely without fearing one’s life is a reality that too many face; especially Black Men and Women. As a Black Female Therapist I write material that not only sheds light on embracing individuality but celebrating my culture. Start the conversations with your youth early so that we can stop being in the company of individuals abusing power and covertly and overtly exercising hatred over our communities . Click link in bio to order or visit Amazon. #sickandtired #blacktherapistmatter #ilovebeingblack #imblackandimproud #blackauthor #blacktherapist #blackmenrock #blackgirlsrock #stopkillingus

A post shared by Bold Visions Consulting LLC TM (@visionsbold) on Jun 1, 2020 at 5:17pm PDT