Pregnacy and Parenting : Helping Hurricane Florence victims, stop stereotyping my son

Good Morning Friends,

Anybody else needing a VERY large cup of coffee on this Thursday Morning? I just arrived home from gorgeous Kauai, and I am having a little bit of those pesky post-travel blues. First I drink the coffee, then I do the things. Today those things include catching up on work and sifting through a large amount of gorgeous photos. Three quick fun fact about me- I worship coffee like a deity, my camera is my second baby, and I love random dance parties in the middle of the afternoon.

Last week the East Coast was rocked with Hurricane Florence. My son came home from school yesterday asking about where North Carolina was and trying to understand what a hurricane is. I feel that damage and destruction are hard to make young children comprehend and I am never really sure the right way to approach these situations. Personally, I want him to understand the magnitude of situations like this and show him how fortunate we are and help him see all the ways we can help others who are in need.

Here are a just a few ways that you can help-

Donate to the Red Cross: Over 1,500 Red Cross disaster workers are already working in the relief efforts. The American Red Cross is currently taking donations to help those affected by Florence here .
Donate to Americares: The health-focused disaster relief organization group has already deployed a response team to North Carolina ahead of Florence. They are collecting donations for emergency medicine and other supplies here.
Donate blood: Blood drives across the southeast were canceled as Hurricane Florence bore down on the region, impacting blood supply. Help replenish supplies by donating blood through America's Blood Centers, American Red Cross, or the Armed Services Blood Program.
Donate to the North Carolina Community Foundation: This local humanitarian organization partners with local charities to support the community as they provide aid to the Carolinas in the wake of the hurricane. Support their on-the-ground relief efforts here.
Donate to the American Humane Society: This national charity is helping animals escape the storm. They've already saved 72 cats from the path of Hurricane Florence and hope to help many more. Donate here.

Consider sitting down and making these donations with your kids present. Explain to them what it is you are doing. It doesn't matter how much you can donate, it just matters that you do what you can. Ask if they can think of any ways that they can help and then encourage and steer them in the right direction. Remind them everything that they have to be thankful for.

It is our job to set the example.

-JESSICA

Check out this story about a little girl named Florence who set out to help the victims of Hurricane Florence. Let's work on teaching our kids to go out of their ways to help make a difference for those in need.

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