Talking about Childhood Hunger Creates
Teachable Moments Between Parents & Children
It's that time of year when we try not to forget the neediest. Author Lois Brandt guest posts about how to talk to the kids about it. Her book Maddi's Fridge presents a respectful approach to the situation.
Knowing when to talk to your children about serious problems they may face sooner rather than later can be difficult for parents.
While burdening a child with a complex issue at too early of an age may frighten or confuse them, it’s important to ensure they’re prepared for what they most certainly will be exposed to, says former Peace Corps volunteer and children’s author Lois Brandt.
“When I was a young girl, I opened my best friend’s refrigerator and discovered that her family had no food,” Brandt says. “I didn’t know what to do as a child facing this horrible issue. I didn’t know how to help my friend.”
Twenty percent of American children – one of every five -- live in households that struggle to afford food, according to a 2012 report from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Chances are that your child will have classmates whose families are struggling to put food on the table.
“Children follow where parents lead. Talking to your children about hunger shows them your empathy for others; it prepares them for the moment they may encounter hunger among their friends or classmates, and it assures them that they can talk to their parents about this problem,” says Brandt, author of “Maddi’s Fridge,” (www.MaddisFridge.com), a colorfully illustrated children’s picture book inspired by Brandt’s experience with her childhood friend.
She offers tips on how to talk to children about the widespread problem of child hunger.
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