It hasn’t even been a whole week since the murder of Charlie Kirk and the details are still making headlines and the subject of social media posts. As a parent and grandparent, you may have been and will continue to be a source of stability and information for your children and grandchildren when tragedies happen in the world. This means time and a little work on your part, but that’s a good thing. You want your kids to come to you when they have question, worries or concerns. Spend time listening to their concerns and questions as this can be a time to bond over this event and look at it as a teaching opportunity. In education, it’s called a ‘Teachable Moment.” Here are some thoughts on this…
You may or may not have known who Charlie Kirk was before this tragedy. Do your homework by reading about him, watching videos and going to TPUSA.com the website for Turning Point USA, Charlie’s movement website. Learn about what Charlie’s mission was so that you can correctly answer your child or grandchild’s questions.
One of the situations that may present itself to your child is that they may come to you with a quote that may or may not be taken out of context from Charlie. He was a young man who was convicted in his love for his Christian faith, his country and his family. His ministry encouraged young people to know their faith and what it stood for by reading the Bible, going to worship services and living their faith in their daily activities. Some may feel that his ideas were controversial. Explain to your kids that in this country, everyone has an opportunity to speak and live the way they wish, Charlie Kirk, as well as anyone else. Over the past week, we all have seen quotes of his highlighted and scrutinized. I don’t know what the point of that is. He was a man who lived a public life and tried to inspire others. These people who point out quotes don’t have to follow Charlie’s mission, they can live how they wish. However, to Charlie and his followers, this is the way THEY wish/wished to live. Charlie was not a radical person, he was a peaceful man. His rallies didn’t lead to riots. Infact, following his death, we saw prayer vigils rather than riots or setting buildings on fire. Charlie welcomed respectful debate and through his debates, he set the example of knowing what you believe i enough to debate the issues.
One topic that Charlie and his wife and partner in their ministry spoke about was the importance of young people making themselves the best person they could be, educating themselves and eventually making themselves a good spouse. Charlie spoke of definite male and female roles in a marriage. He encouraged young people to make a conscious effort to finding a good spouse to build a life with. Some take offense to this and again, everyone doesn’t have to take his advice, however for parents who wish for their children to live a Christian life, his message encourages following a Biblical path.
To know the history and Constitution of our country is a reasonable thing for a young person to know. Everyone who lives in this country should know how our country was founded and why it was unique. If kids know how hard people fought for our freedom and freedoms around the world they would value the rights they have. Isn’t that a good thing?
Charlie was simply a young man who followed Jesus and tried to do what he thought Jesus wanted him to to, to share the word and message with others. Our country was founded on Judaeo Christian values. In the Declaration of Independence the following references are made, “The nature of God,” “the Creator,” “The Supreme Judge,” and “divine Providence.” These terms and phrases say that our rights come from God Almighty and that is how the founders of this country felt. This was unique from any other country at the time. Interestingly, when they wrote the Constitution, they did not want to refer to God because they wanted to insure religious freedom-the only reference was made to God in the date, “In the year of our Lord”, a common reference at the time. However, look at our currency or governmental buildings. What do you see? “In God We Trust.”
This can be where you start, you can take it from here. It’s a good thing for your children or grandchildren to come to you with the hard questions and their concerns. Charlie encouraged debate and conversation with those we agree with as well as those we don’t see eye to eye with. He felt that when we stop talking, that’s when problem start. Like so much in life, it comes down to respect and living by The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” from Jesus’s sermon on the mount from Matthew 7:12.
