Explaining Extreme Poverty to Kids

Technorati Tags: orphans,Red Letters Campaign,Blog Buzz,Africa,kids,family

This is my first attempt at answering a Blog Buzz Question for RLC, and this week's "Red Letters" Topic Question is "How do you explain extreme poverty to your kids?  Give tips, ideas, or even tidbits of your own conversations with children."

Apart from reading and 'spreading the word,' I don't have much experience in the area of extreme poverty, so this is my one area of intent focus - my children.  I want them to have what I did not have throughout my growing years - a better understanding of the real world, the whole world, and not just their own little magic bubble.

Because our children are so young, they are eager and avid learners, so our primary tactic in teaching them most things has been based on a passage from Isaiah 28 that says,

9 “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message?...10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

And that is our same approach at handling the issues of extreme poverty.  For now, we focus on the small things - like thankfulness and being grateful; here's a recent for instance: When my kids complained about going to the splash pad instead of the pool, we talked about the luxury of clean water - much less water to PLAY IN.  (We also talked about how 'going back home' was an option).

When Daddy and Mommy have 'work' to do in the form of phone calls, meetings, or time spent writing for these issues, we tell them what we're doing and why.  When we check in on a friends' blog that has precious pictures and videos of their adoption story, the kids gather round and watch and we talk about those children and what adoption means.  When we purge our home of unnecessary items to give to those in need, we talk about what we're doing and why.

And, we know it's working...slowly but surely, the reality will set in and they will learn what it means to 'love their neighbor as themselves.'  Now, they won't always do it, and neither do I, but they will know what it means.  And that is leaps and bounds above what I knew at their age.

Here are some of my recent favorites responses to this process:

"Daddy told us about the children in Africa who don't have mommies and daddies and that have to sleep on the ground without pillows or blankets.  When we go there, I'm going to take them my pillow and give it to them."

"Mommy, when are we going to Africa?" (ME I'm not sure.)  "Well, I want to go NOW." (ME: Well, we'll have to talk to God about that.  Only He knows when all of us can go.  Mommy is going to have the baby soon, and it's really not safe for us to go on a trip so far away right now.)  "Well, then we should just move there."

(Context: our best friends just brought home their daughter from China and we met them at the airport upon their return)  "Mommy, when are WE going to get a baby from China?" (ME: I don't know.  We might get a baby from China someday or we might not.  God doesn't give them to just everybody, so we should talk to him about that. my answer for everything).  I really want to go to China.  Please can we go?  It's fun there.  Remember when we went there and they had all the bags on that circle thing?  (ME: Are you talking about the airport?)  Yeah! There!  (ME: That wasn't China, honey, that was the airport.  China is a very long way away and we would have to go on a long trip to get there.)  We should just move there. her answer for everything (Younger Child: They don't have any beds there.) No, we would just take our whole house with us. :-)

So, it isn't always serious around here, but we're taking baby steps.