Show, Don't Tell
I wasn’t going anyplace tonight. After eleven weeks of sheltering in place, I’ve become comfortable staying in with my family. The public safety alert that flashed on my cell phone tonight is different from the stay home orders I’ve grown accustomed to, though. This one is not in response to a pandemic; it’s a curfew – a state of emergency – declared in response to widespread unrest in Los Angeles following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police on May 25th.
I’m a white woman over sixty and a life-long liberal. It feels unwise, insensitive, and tone-deaf to offer advice right now. My job is to listen and let go of preconceived notions; to work at hearing what wants to be said. I’ve posted a list of trusted resources for talking with children and families about systemic racism and social justice here.
But listening isn't enough.
I also feel a collective responsibility to act.
What should we do?
I can't speak for anyone other than myself.
If the first rule of creative writing is "show, don't tell," the first rule of mindfulness facilitation is "draw from what you know." I know a lot about children's books that reflect on universal themes like interdependence, how everything changes, clarity, acceptance, and having an open mind. Themes that encourage us to step back and see the vast field of causes and conditions that make up the larger picture of our suffering. I've been collecting these books for decades and have seen firsthand how as our and our children’s lenses broaden, self-centered concerns can be dwarfed by more fundamental issues and seem unimportant in comparison. How even in the midst of great suffering, children and adults can recognize and appreciate the people, places, and things that help make it bearable.
In response to COVID-19, a group of us formed the Inner Kids Collaborative to offer 30-minute, pay-what-you-can mindfulness lessons three times a day this summer via Zoom. I offer lessons for children together with a caregiver on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 9 am PST. For the foreseeable future, I'll build those lessons around children's books that focus on universal themes like open-mindedness, interdependence, discernment, kindness, and compassion. In my Thursday morning lessons for caregivers, we'll recap the children's books from that week's classes with children and address the same themes. Monday's lesson is for early elementary aged children and a caregiver, Tuesday's lesson is for pre-school aged children and a caregiver, and Wednesday's lesson is for late elementary aged children with a caregiver. All lessons are offered on a pay what you can basis.
Other thirty-minute lessons from the collaborative will also focus on universal themes. On Thursdays at 12 noon PT, Angelike Dexter facilitates a self-care group for parents. On Tuesdays, at noon PT Amy Spies offers mindful writing lessons. Facilitators from AtentaMente offer Spanish language mindfulness classes at 3 pm PT on Mondays for children and Wednesdays for teens. Kelly Petrie offers an autism-focused group for caregivers on Friday mornings at 9 am PT. Ellis Enlow and Nada Ghaneien offer preschool lessons at 12 noon PT on Monday and 3 pm PT on Friday. Kelly Barron is teaching classes for elementary aged children and a caregiver on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Laurie Cousins is teaching classes for elementary aged children with a caregiver on Fridays. The full schedule of classes for a child (or children) with a caregiver can be found here, classes for teens and tweens can be found here, and mindfulness classes for caregivers on their own can be found here.
Classes will continue through the summer with registration for the following week open every Friday.