Ep. 396: Helping Your Children Process the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Let's Parent on Purpose: Christian Marriage, Parenting, and Discipleship

In recent days, our children have experienced another horrific act of evil with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. There are some ways in which Charlie’s murder was unique - his explicit Christian faith, the motives behind the murder, and its brutal public nature caught on video for the world (and our children) to see. In other ways, this is just one more horrible act of traumatic violence that our children are exposed to. In this episode, Jay shares four helpful guidelines for moms and dads to help their children process this (and other) wickedness. He then shares his recent episode of Guided by Faith, where he directly addresses young people to help them process the murder. Listen as Jay shares the following wisdom for moms and dads:

Be compassionate

• Grieve for somebody whose life was cut short.

• Grieve for the friends and families of those affected.

• Grieve with your child that they had to be exposed.

Be curious

• Can you tell me what you heard or saw?

• Who was with you when you heard? What was their reaction?

• What was your reaction? What do you remember feeling right away? What are you thinking and feeling about it now?

• The Lord promises to be with us. In what way was the Lord with you when you heard about this?

Be cautious

• Don’t fan the flame of fear.

• Don’t fan the flame about contempt.

• Don’t fan the flame of vengeance.

• Pay attention to how obsessed you are getting with the situation.

• Pay attention to how obsessed your child is getting. You might need to make time for more conversations, or let them talk to a pastor or other trusted counselor.

Be courageous

• Your children will remember your tone and your spirit more than your specific words.

• Ground your hope and emotions in the reality that Christ has overcome the world.

• Remind your children that Christ has overcome the world, and that he is coming back to set all things new. Until then he’s promised us that the world will have trouble, but he’s also called us to be his salt and light in the world.

• We don’t have to live afraid when we are living out God’s mission.

Let’s Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcasting Network. For more information, visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Resources and links mentioned:

• How to Walk With Loved Ones Through Trauma with Eliza Huie Part 1: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/part-1-how-to-walk-with-loved-ones-through-trauma-with-eliza-huie/

• How to Walk With Loved Ones Through Trauma with Eliza Huie Part 2: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/part-2-how-to-walk-with-loved-ones-through-trauma-with-eliza-huie/

• Daily Devotional Podcast Guided by Faith: www.guidedbyfaith.net

• Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

• Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive through the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/