I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to what’s taking place in Ukraine right now. The news updates, social media posts, horrific images of the devastation, and pleas for prayer are everywhere. And it feels so heavy. I know I find myself scouring news articles for glimmers of hope, just a little good news about Ukraine that might indicate the end of this horrible, unprovoked, and unnecessary war. But I’m often left with more questions than answers, and at a loss of what I can tangibly do to help.
What can we do? What do we say?
It’s so hard to know how to help and how to explain what’s going on to our children. But it’s vitally important that we stay engaged in this current moment. City Mom Collective–a nationwide network of hyperlocal mom influencers (of which Miami Mom Collective is a part!)–recently compiled a series of helpful posts on topics like talking with your children about the war in Ukraine, and practical ways you can help.
Here are a few posts from a handful of our sister sites from that series that I wanted to highlight:
How to Talk to Your Kids About War (from Co Springs Mom Collective)
Talking to Your Kids About Ukraine (from Indianapolis Mom)
We Are Not Helpless: Ideas for Action in Response to the Ukraine Crisis (from Houston Moms)
What if I Were a Ukrainian Mother? (from Fort Worth Moms)
Educating Yourself
There is a long nuanced history behind the current crisis in Ukraine, and we have a responsibility to educate ourselves and gather information from sources other than social media. In a recent NPR interview Molly Wetta, a librarian in Santa Barbara, CA shared a list of books about Russian history, Ukrainian history, and Vladimir Putin. I’ve included her list below.
About Russian History
Lenin’s Tomb by David Remnick
Russia Without Putin by Tony Wood
About Vladimir Putin
The Future Is History by Masha Gessen
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen
About Ukrainian History
The Gates Of Europe: A History Of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhz
You can look for hard copies of these books at your local Miami-Dade Public Library branch, or look for audio versions for listening on the go.
How to Donate
Organizations like UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children and many others are directly involved in providing humanitarian aid to people in Ukraine. Read more about how moms can help with ongoing relief efforts here.
As moms, we have been called to parent in a broken world. Here are a few tips from our very own Kristin Parke about how we can do this well.
