Ep 67: Six Scripts for Talking to Our Children about Immigration Rights (in Ways that They Get & You Don’t Sweat)

In this moment, people are organizing and mobilizing to stand alongside our immigrant friends and neighbors. The state is escalating the violence. We, the people, are feeling the urgency and pressure to act. I truly believe that one way to sustain our movement is to include our children in both conversations and actions for liberation. That’s why in this quick episode, you’ll explore some scripts you can adapt and use when you talk to your children about immigrant rights in ways that they get and you don’t sweat.

[INTRODUCTION]

Sawadee ka, and welcome to the Come Back to Care podcast. A place where we’re re-imagining parenting to be deeply decolonized and intentionally intergenerational. If you’ve been looking for ways to practice social justice in your daily parenting and nurture your child’s development while re-parenting your inner child, I’m so glad you’re here. I am your host, Nat Nadha Vikitsreth, a decolonized and licensed clinical psychotherapist, somatic abolitionist, and founder of Come Back to Care. A dot connector, norm agitator and lover of liberation. In this podcast, we turn down the volume of oppressive social norms and outdated family patterns so that we can hear our inner voice and raise our children by our own values too. We come back home to our body and the goodness within. We come back to our lineages and communities. And we come back to care… together. So come curious and come as you are.

[EPISODE]

In this episode, you’ll hear six scripts that you can use or adapt when your little one is asking who immigrants are and why people are protesting. 

These scripts are adapted from a research-based political messaging strategy by Anat Shenker-Osorio. And I added a few twists to make the messages friendly and developmentally appropriate to children who are 8 years old and under.  

For a full breakdown of this political messaging strategy, please visit Ep 64: Power-With With Your Family this Holiday with this Political Messaging Strategy.

You’re welcome to pause the episode and jot down some notes or head to the episode show notes and access the transcript at comebacktocare.com/podcast.

If you’ve been doing this work with me for a while, you know that I don’t typically offer prescriptive scripts for you to say. My intention for these scripts is for them to be a jumping off point for you to include the children in our movements and struggles for liberation. So that confusion about what to say or how much to say no longer gets in the way of your social justice action at home.

If that sounds generative to you, let’s get started with defining who immigrants are.

Explaining who immigrants are:

One way to talk to your children about who immigrants are can be like this:

“People move to another country to give their families and children a better life. We call them immigrants. They bring their food, music, and culture to our neighborhood. We’re all better for having them here.” 

So, that’s the base. Now you can add your toppings to make it work for you and your family. The toppings can be personal touches like: “remember when we went to the Lunar New Year Festival in China Town? Or when Olivia’s grandparents came to your classroom and you learned about the Day of the Dead in Mexico?” Or, “do you know that your great grandparents came to this country to keep the family safe and give us a better life? Our family has immigrants too.”

One thing to highlight here is that this script frames immigrants through the lens of basic human rights and freedom- rights to move and freedom to be who we are. The message is not about refuting the opposition’s lies about immigrants and, in exchange, repeating them and giving them more airtime. You didn’t hear anything about “honey, immigrants are legal, not criminals” or anything like that. Still with me?

Number one:

“You know I work really hard to make life better for you. Some parents moved to our country to do the same for their children. But a few people make up lies about our friends and neighbors who moved from different places. That’s not kind at all, right? That’s why right now people from all over the country are out on the streets standing up against these few bullies. Their actions- drumming, chanting, making signs- are showing our neighbors that we love them and we keep us safe. What do you think about that?”

Number two:

“We believe that everybody should be who they want to be and live their dreams no matter where they come from or what they look like. But a few people don’t play by this rule. They choose who matters and who doesn’t. They tell lies to make us afraid of our friends and neighbors who come from different places. Right now people from all over the country are out on the streets standing up against these few bullies. Their actions- drumming, chanting, making signs- are showing our neighbors that we love them and we keep us safe. What do you think about that?”

Number three:

“We believe that we treat others the way we want to be treated no matter where they come from or what they sound like. But a few people choose to bully our friends and neighbors who come from different places. Right now people from all over the country are out on the streets standing up against these few bullies. Their actions- drumming, chanting, making signs- are showing our neighbors that we love them and we keep us safe. What do you think about that?”

Number four:

“We work hard for our families and look out for our friends and neighbors. But a few people are bullying our friends and neighbors who come from different places. That’s why we and people from all over the country are out on the streets standing up against these few bullies. Their actions- drumming, chanting, making signs- are showing our neighbors that we love them and we keep us safe. What do you think about that?”

Number five:

“We believe people are created equal. All people, no matter what they look like, sound like, or where they come from. But a few people are bullying our friends and neighbors who come from different places by saying they can’t be here in this country and by kicking them out of our neighborhood. That’s not fair. That’s why we and people from all over the country are out on the streets standing up against these few bullies. Their actions- drumming, chanting, making signs- are showing our neighbors that we love them and we keep us safe. What do you think about that?”

[CLOSING]

My dear co-conspirator, which script feels enlivening in your body? Which one moves you out of cynicism and into action by talking to your children about immigrant rights?

Thank you from my whole heart for making our movement intergenerational by engaging our children in this conversation about immigration rights.

If this episode fills your heart cup and you have the bandwidth to reciprocate, I have 2 invitations:

I invite to you reciprocate with your time by leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Or reciprocate with your money by joining our Patreon. You can find all the details at comebacktocare.com/support.

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As always, in solidarity and sass. Until next time, please take care.