3 Things Parents Can Do When the News is Scary

Face it, the News can be scary even for adults these days! What to say about the Coronavirus, or racial unrest when the questions come.

Well, first of all recognize that as parents your word carries more authority than all the media, the words of peers, relatives, teachers, and even preachers. What you say about love, hate, fear and faith will go deeper than anybody elses. This can be both a blessing and a curse!

3 Things Parents Can Do When the News is Scary

1) Watch your words. How you react to news and current events and how you discuss it in the household is critical. The palmist David said it best: "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips," (Psalm 141:3). Reassurance and a calm trust in God's protection as parents will convey to your child. If you're not worried, they will be at peace.

2) Always reassure your child that God is in control, even when it looks like the world is upside down! Remind them that as Christians we are always protected. And that the Kingdom of God is an "upside downside, hind-part-before side, inside Kingdom," which means that things are now always as they seem. And sometimes the things people think are the answer are not necessarily God's answer. Read Bible stories together like Jonah and the whale, and Moses and the Red Sea -- stories that show unlikely "upside down" ways God rescued His children.

3) Pray with your child, asking God to show you what He is doing in the midst of what seems like chaos. Ask God together for answers. Partner with them, and let them see you have confidence in their faith to seek God's answers together. You may be surprised the wisdom He will drop into their spirits that will comfort them, as well as you.