Talking To Your Young Adults About the Ukraine Invasion

We need to help young adults, too, be “sober-minded and watchful” about what is unfolding

The words of 1 Peter 5:8 resonate even more today than a week ago. This last week, it has been hard to watch the images crossing our TV screens and social media feeds—and yet our kids have been doing so. They have been flooded with videos of the chaos. (More on that in a moment.)

The heroic resistance of the Ukrainian leaders and people has been heartbreaking and inspiring and has united the world against the tragedy being imposed by Putin. This is a good thing to discuss with our kids. Right now, an idea is shining brightly: the idea that might does not make right. That a bully cannot just take what he wants without consequences. That “all men are created equal” and have the right to freedom and self-determination. Use this as an opportunity to discuss and hear your kids’ hearts on those concepts.

Yet also use this as an opportunity to share that this is not a movie. The good guys don’t always win. Don’t take away your kids’ hope but help them be prepared emotionally for what might come. The successes of the Ukrainian resistance have made it more likely that a humiliated dictator’s next steps will be far more brutal. Until now, expecting that he would take over fairly easily, Putin likely wanted to keep much of the Ukrainian infrastructure intact. Now, analysts believe he may revert to “burn it to the ground” mode, as he did in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. Facing crippling sanctions and the near-universal condemnation of the international community, will he back off? Double down? Threaten nuclear retaliation if sanctions aren’t removed? It is impossible to know. All we do know is that it seems highly unlikely that the plucky underdog can prevent a truly determined effort to blow Ukrainian resistance away.