Parents, especially White Parents, should be having conversations with children about race anyway, protests or not. Institutionalized racism is as old as America, so parents need to be talking to their children about power and privilege early on. Reading books that discuss racism and have different characters with different races, ethnicities, and cultures is recommended. Only by starting this conversation early can we ever expect to have a more loving, less hateful world.

Regarding the protests specifically, parents should consider these two things: a) What is my child actually asking so I can stay on track and only give them the information they are curious about? and b) What is developmentally appropriate, given my child’s actual and emotional age?

Dr. Colleen Cira joins Melanie Cole to talk about protests, riots, racism, and how to talk to your kids about these issues and more.