What I Told My Son about Trayvon Martin ...

I shared the same sentiment as many upon hearing the verdict in the Trayvon Martin trial. But the fact that I'm a Mommy adds an entirely different dynamic as well as a different perspective particularly as it relates to being a black Mother to a 7 yr. old black son.

I primarily used Twitter as a platform to vent. But I also took to FB and posted the following:

Status Update

By Erin A. Martin

I hugged each of my ❤'s tonite before tucking them in but my son particularly tight tonite and cried him to sleep as I explained to him what this all meant and why my heart aches. It's unfathomable. The verdict did not surprise me in the least. I just prayed for a different outcome, for this time to be different.

But my response to my son, "God has got this." I explained to him that he didn't need to walk in fear however he needs to always be alert and aware. I explained that Trayvon Martin did nothing wrong and that George Zimmerman made an extremely poor choice. I learned per a "special edition" Mommy Midday segment featuring NBC Today Show contributor, Dr. Argie Allen that I aired in light of the Boston Marathon bombing regarding talking tragedy with your kids, that my tone and body language as a Parent is everything when it comes to how my children process events such as this. How I act will dictate how they act. As distraught as I was/am about the verdict, I didn't project anger although I was totally up front with my son regarding why it hurt and how I would never want anything like that to happen to him. My daughter even posed the question of which I tweeted:

My 9 yr old. "He killed a man. I bet because he got away with it, he'll do more bad stuff. #MommyMidday
— Erin Martin (@BagLadies) July 14, 2013

Do you have kids? How did you address or what did you say to your children? Please share your thoughts and insight.

Press play to listen OnDemand to the awesome convo had with Dr. Argie Allen. Dr. Allen provides great tips on how to navigate discussing these types of event with your children:

Listen to internet radio with Erin Martin on BlogTalkRadio

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