I’ve been thinking a lot about conversation over the winter break. In one of my Learning Conversations with a teenager last week, they shared with me their sadness about the loss of life in Australia—human and animals. The estimates of animals who have died in the fires is staggering. I was glad to be able to create a safe space for this young person to share the sadness they were feeling. It’s probably no accident that the CASEL framework for social and emotional competencies references Self-awareness first. One of the primary skills we can grow in mindful family conversations is identifying our feelings.
As a photographer, I find a lot of kindred spirits on Instagram. I follow dozens of wildlife photographers and conservation groups. Amidst the deep sadness at the loss of life, I found myself taking heart in what people are doing to help, especially the people right there on the ground, converting bedrooms to kangaroo nurseries, tending injured koalas, rescuing and nursing infant bats. If the fires are making it into your family conversations, be sure to include these acts of kindness and caring, calling out the actions these people are taking. We need to offer our children and teenagers role models like Susan Pulis (read the kangaroo nursery post) and her friends. In this post in The Atlantic, writers Adam Grant and Allison Sweet Grant share their own reflections on kindness and family conversations: Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids—And Start Raising Kind Ones. Food for thought.
And Elsewhere…
Book/Podcast: I heard author Peggy Orenstein in conversation at my local bookstore a few years ago. She was on tour promoting her book, Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape. I appreciated her work interviewing dozens of young women. One of the young women co-led the book talk with her. I learned a lot. At the time, Peggy announced she was working on a new book about boys and sex. It was just published. If you’d like a preview, Terry Gross did an interview with her here.
