Talking to our children about tragedy

This morning as I walked my 7 year old into school I saw him greet one of his classmates. As they walked down the hallway together she turned to my son and asked him did he pray for Haiti? And he replied "yes, my mother told me about it yesterday". At that point I realized that my son, who to us seems as if we only brought him home from the hospital yesterday, is socially connected to the world through modern day technology. Our beautiful young children have so much to bear at such a young age, but at the same time it is good to see that we are arming them with the proper tools to sustain a God fearing & healthy disposition to what is one of the most devastating events that we will see in our lifetime.

I have put together a list of websites that we as parents can use as tools to speak to our children concerning tragedy.

PBS - Guide to discussing tragedy with your kids

PBS- Age by Age Insights

Talking to your Children About Disasters

CNN has a page devoted to the latest updates and a list of other organizations that are trying to assist Haiti specifically.

Here is a short list of groups raising aid for people affected by the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti.

1.) Grassroots International - you can make a secure donation through there website.

2.) Yele Haiti, a group established by musician Wyclef Jean, inspires change in Haiti through education, sports, and the arts. You can make a donation using your cell phone, text Yele to 501501 to donate $5 to the relief effort; the donation will show up on your cell phone bill.

3.) The Red Cross - is accepting donations through text message, text Haiti to 90999 to send $10.

4.) Doctors Without Borders (Medicins sans Frontieres) - Donations made today will immediately be directed to their Haiti Earthquake Response team; you can make a one-time donation using your credit or debit card here.



5.) UNICF - Allows you to make a one time donation through their website



6.) Western Union Western Union also is launching a "No Transfer Fee" pricing action for any amount sent to Haiti from the United States, Canada and France. The "No Transfer Fee" initiative will run for a period of seven days,


God Bless you all and especially lay hands on our Haitian Family and Friends.