Parenting Through Tyranny
A resource hub for families living inside state violence, grief, and the long work of building a future rooted in care.
We are parenting in a time of profound harm. January is not even over, and people have already died at the hands of immigration enforcement. Families are grieving. Children are noticing. Parents are holding questions that have no easy answers.
This page exists because parenting is political, silence doesn’t equal safety and parents deserve support that is honest, nervous-system aware, and rooted in justice
This is a living resource for:
people trying to conceive while the world is on fire
parents of babies, children, teens, and grown kids
caregivers, aunties, grandparents, chosen family
anyone raising humans while systems cause harm
1. Talking With Our Kids
Truth without flooding. Honesty without abandonment.
Children already sense when something is wrong. We are not trying to shield them from reality. We are trying to translate reality in ways their bodies can hold.
Core principles
Answer the questions they are asking not the ones we’re afraid of
Tell the truth in developmentally appropriate ways
Reassure love in the present moment
Make space for feelings without asking children to carry adult responsibility
Language anchors (adapt and make your own)
For younger children
“Some people were hurt by people in power, and that’s not okay.”
“Grown-ups are working to keep people safe.”
“You are loved right now. I’m here with you.”
For school-age kids
“Some systems are unfair, and people are working to change them.”
“It’s okay to feel sad, mad, or confused.”
“We don’t have to fix everything today.”
For teens and older kids
Talk openly about systems, history, power, and resistance
Invite dialogue, not lectures
Model how to stay informed without becoming consumed
If you don’t know how to answer a question, it’s okay to say:
“I’m still learning how to explain this. Let’s keep talking.”
That teaches trust and humility in one. You could make it a third thing by teaching accountability by learning more about it and circling back.
2. Coping, Grieving, and Caring for Ourselves
Because parenting through harm is a real nervous system load.
What many parents are experiencing right now is a mixture of anxiety, grief and moral injury.
We are witnessing:
state violence
loss of life
erosion of safety and dignity
fear impacting our children
That takes a toll.
What care can look like
Limiting news intake without disengaging from reality
Letting kids see regulated emotion and repair (“I was overwhelmed earlier, and now I’m grounding, wanna breathe with me?”)
Returning to the body: breath, food, rest, movement, touch
Being witnessed by other adults, especially others who are parenting through this as well
You are allowed to:
cry
take breaks
rest without earning it
feel joy alongside grief
Resistance is staying human.
3. Acting, Resisting, and Building the Future
Justice that does not abandon our bodies or our families.
Activism looks different in different seasons of parenting, and all of it counts.
Parents are already doing radical work by:
raising children with values of care and solidarity
choosing connection over isolation
modeling accountability and compassion
Ways families can engage (choose what fits your life)
Relational + local
Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our friends in MN: linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid
Help immigrant families pay the rent and more here: https://www.standwithminnesota.com
Support immigrant-led mutual aid groups (find your local ones!)
Offer childcare, meals, rides, or court accompaniment to your neighbors
Build community networks that don’t rely on punishment or policing
Material
Donate when and if you can
Support bail funds, legal defense funds, and grassroots organizations
donate to your local food bank or community fridge
Civic
Call or write elected officials (5 calls is a great way to start)
Demand transparency, accountability, and oversight
Teach kids how civic pressure works, slowly and collectively
With children
Attend family-friendly actions when safe
Talk about why people protest
Show kids what solidarity looks like in real life, not just in theory
We tend the future through relationship, care, and steady presence.
4. Naming those who have passed
Because remembrance is part of justice.
Since the beginning of January, many people have died in ICE custody or during federal immigration operations, including:
Keith Porter Jr.
Geraldo Lunas Campos
Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz
Luis Gustavo Nuñez Cáceres
Parady La
Victor Manuel Díaz
Heber Sanchaz Domínguez
Renée Good
Alex Jeffrey Pretti
We name them here because they mattered, because silence compounds harm and because our children deserve a world that remembers.
5. Gentle Reminders for Parents
You are not failing because this feels hard
You are not doing this alone
You do not have to carry everything today
Parenting is political and it is also tender, ordinary, and sacred
The future is shaped in:
bedtime conversations
car rides
who we protect
who we listen to
who we stand beside
6. Additional Resources: Support, Conversations, and Tools
Here are thoughtful, parent-friendly spaces, podcasts, and guides for talking with kids, grounding yourself, and connecting to community:
Britt Hawthorne, Anti-bias & Anti-racist Parenting
Educator and facilitator Britt Hawthorne helps parents talk about systems of power, fairness, and humanity with their kiddos. I purchased her A Care-Based Guide for Talking to Children About Harm, Justice, and Dignity and found it very helpful.
You can follow her on Instagram: @britthawthorne and Facebook
Sesame Street: Support for Tough Conversations
Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop offer a rich set of free, research-backed resources to help parents and caregivers talk with children about big feelings, identity, racial differences, and other challenging topics, all in age-appropriate, compassionate ways.
Here’s their website about it: https://sesameworkshop.org/tough-topics/
And here is a great slide series about offering comfort in scary times that is appropriate for different ages: https://www.instagram.com/p/DT_kWPtDHyQ/?igsh=NjRjOXAxeTVzZzU3
Parenting is Political (Podcast & Instagram)
A podcast and community exploring how parenting and justice intersect — unpacking what we model for our kids and how we stay grounded while raising conscious humans. Hosts Jasmine & Mo talk practice, politics, and resistance.
Instagram: @parentingispolitical
Podcast (Apple, Spotify, etc.): Parenting is Political
Dr. Chelsey, PhD, Parent Coach
Offers concrete examples of what she’s saying to her kids (ages ~8–11) about ICE and immigration, a pragmatic, compassionate starter language pack shared on Instagram.
You can follow her on Instagram
The Workspace for Children, “Parenting Is Political” essay
A reflective piece about how parenting itself is resistance, teaching empathy, conviction, and moral clarity as the world shifts around us.
Speaking of Kids (Coalition conversations)
Explores the effects of immigration enforcement on families and how it impacts daily life, schooling, and community safety, themes that help shape parent conversations.
Seeds of Liberation: Books for Raising Revolutionary Kids - this is our bookshop list where we’ve gathered liberatory, anti-bias, and justice-rooted books for children and caregivers with stories and guides that help us raise humans who know compassion, dignity, and collective power.
Invitation
This page will continue to grow.
If you would like to add a resource to this page please email me.
If you want updates as this resource expands, you can:
→ join my newsletter: The Well
→ join my weekly parenting group Tether (we open the doors on the spring equinox)
→ join my free drop in weekly pregnancy and postpartum support groups with JustBirth Space
→ you might be interested in the Post Election Parenting Plan