Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for Cultivating Resilience, Taking Action, and Practicing Hope in the Face of Climate Change

by Elizabeth Bechard

But what is ours to do together is simple: as parents, our job is to love children. Our job is to love children so much that we see all of the world’s children as our own, all worthy and deserving of a livable planet. Our job is to love children so bravely that we are willing to remake the world for them, to participate with all of our inner and outer resources in moving towards a way of being that is sustainable, just, and equitable for all. Our job is to love children so deeply that we cannot help but be moved to adore and protect the natural world that is their home, and to do so with the courage and fortitude this moment in time demands. Our job, simply, is to love children so fully with our hearts and our actions that years from now, when our own children or grandchildren or great-great-grandchildren ask us, as poet Drew Dellinger does—what did you do once you knew?—the answer we give will be one that we’re proud of.