Good morning, Future-Ready Parent.
Today is Thursday, April 3rd, 2025.

If you’ve felt the pinch at the grocery store this week—or have been paying any attention to news headlines the past few days/weeks, then you have definitely heard the phrase — “trade wars”. And if you’re like me, you’re probably also thinking, “Please don’t ask me to explain this at dinner tonight”. Just me? C’mon…can’t be!

In today’s edition, I’m going to explore this issue further. After all, today’s news is dominated by the topic and the stock market is definitely responding in a not-so-kind way (at least as of pre-market action today). We’ll take a high-range look at what’s really happening with the new tariffs announced on “Liberation Day,” why they matter for your family, and how to turn a confusing global shift into a teachable moment about fairness, resilience, and clear thinking.

Inside today’s edition you’ll find:

• A 5-minute way to explain trade wars using snack swaps

• A plainspoken breakdown of how tariffs could impact groceries, gadgets, and cars

• A moment of grounding: what to do when you feel unqualified to lead these conversations (spoiler: you’re more ready than you think)

• A new reader poll to help shape what we explore next

Let’s make sense of this together. One thoughtful step at a time.

THE BIG PICTURE

You’re in the store, grabbing the usual. Maybe it’s strawberries. Cereal. A few basics. Not even a full cart, just the “essentials”. But the total? Higher—again. (And probably increasing in the coming days/weeks, too.)

Prices are high enough that even your child notices.
“Why is everything so expensive?”

And just like that, your mind starts racing: Is it inflation again? Is this the tariffs thing I saw on the news? Am I supposed to be able to explain this right now?

Ok, pause. Let’s stop right there.

This newsletter isn’t only about making you feel smarter. It’s about reminding you:
You don’t need perfect knowledge to be a powerful guide.

Today, we’re unpacking a global story—President Trump’s new tariffs—and turning it into something more useful: a window into how we grow together.

(And I’m avoiding all politics in the process…trying to prove we can still learn and not become political and/or emotional.)

TODAY'S MICRO-ACTION:

Use the “Snack Trade” to Explain a Trade War

Let’s start very simple — no point in complicating this topic further than it needs to be.

Step 1: Try this story.
Say: “Imagine your friend wants to trade you one pencil for five snacks. You say fine. But next time, you ask for five snacks for your pencil. Now the trade feels equal, right?”

That’s how reciprocal tariffs work. Countries trade stuff. When one side charges a high fee, the other side matches it to feel ‘fair.’ But this back-and-forth can spiral out of control—until no one can afford anything.

Step 2: Ask what they think.
Was that fair? What changed? What happens when each side keeps adding more snacks to the trade?

Remember, you’re not quizzing them. You’re inviting them to think through the situation.

🧠 FOR US FIRST:

“I Don’t Know” Is a Leadership Skill

If your childhood and schooling years were anything like mine, then you were also praised for having the right answer—NEVER the courage to ask better questions. (Heck if you dared, it would have come across as though you were challenging the teacher and acting like a “smart-aleck.)

So maybe it shouldn’t shock us when our own kids ask for a clear answer on a topic we don’t know the full answer to, we tense up and dismiss them rather quickly. (I’ll admit it, I’m guilty of having done it.)

Ready for the life hack that nobody ever told us when we growing up?

Being the adult doesn’t mean having it all figured out.
Being the adult means admitting that you don’t know and working through how to find the answer or solution.

When you say,
“I don’t know—but I’d love to learn together”…
…you’re not failing. You’re modeling the exact skill your child needs most in an uncertain world.

That’s not a gap in your parenting.
That is the parenting.

Remember these words I’ve been saying quite a bit lately — You’re not behind. You’re becoming.

🔦 FUTURE-READY SPOTLIGHT:

What Tariffs Actually Mean for Your Family

Alright, let’s try to break down the news (Axios-style).

On April 2nd, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs—what he called “Liberation Day.” The goal? Protect American jobs and level the playing field.

Here’s what’s happening:

• Groceries: Items like avocados, berries, tomatoes, and bananas are rising 2–4%. (And begrudgingly, coffee prices, too.)

• Electronics: Phones, laptops, and tablets may rise 10% or more—especially those with parts from China, Taiwan, or India.

• Cars: A new 25% tariff on all imported vehicles and car parts. Price hikes could hit $2,000–$12,000, even on domestic “American” cars.

• Households: Low- and middle-income families could lose up to 4% of their disposable income. Wealthier families? Less than half that percentage.

So now at our household level, we will have some tougher parenting decisions to make. We have to create our own policies for our families. Some of us might have to decide to buy new shoes now or hold-off and wait as long as possible. Wait until next year to buy a new backpack that’s already ripping at the strap? Pay for a club sport this year or wait until next?

Past these tough realities we will likely face, there are learning experiences that come out of this.

It’s an invitation.
To have real conversations.
To admit when we’re learning.
To make global financial literacy something that starts at home.

You don’t need to know all the terms.
You just need to be the one who says, “Let’s unpack this together.”

Meet Solas: Your Calm Companion for Explaining a Chaotic World

Turn “I don’t know” into powerful parenting.

What it is:
Solas is a custom ChatGPT prompt designed just for Future-Ready Parents—a warm, emotionally intelligent guide that helps you make sense of hard-to-explain global events (like tariffs, inflation, or trade wars) in plain, kid-friendly language.

How it works:

1. Copy the prompt into ChatGPT (takes 5 seconds).

2. Solas will ask you a few gentle questions to personalize the conversation.

3. Then it helps you:
   ✅ Break down confusing headlines (like “trade war”)
   ✅ Try metaphor-rich scripts to explain it to your child
   ✅ Reflect on how to model curiosity, not perfection
   ✅ Find small ways to lead even when you're still learning

Why it matters:
Your child doesn’t need you to be an expert.
They need you to show up with curiosity.
Solas helps you do that—one conversation at a time.

💬 Try Solas Today
→ [Copy the GPT prompt into ChatGPT and start a conversation that builds clarity, trust, and real-world learning.]

You are Solas, the Fairness Conversation Guide
Role Title: You are Solas, a warm and curious GPT created by Future-Ready Parents to help you turn global news into family conversations about fairness, resilience, and leadership.

Personality Goal: Support parents who feel unqualified to explain “big world stuff” and help them become co-learners and conversation starters with their kids.

Introduction Style:
“Hi, I’m Solas. When the world gets complicated, I help you make it make sense—together with your child, not for them. You don’t need all the answers. You just need a doorway in. Want to open one together?”

Desired Relationship: A gentle co-explorer who models “I don’t know, let’s learn together.”

🛠 Available Commands:
/start – Begin a gentle 5-step conversation guide for today’s tough question

/learn – Break down terms like “tariff” and “trade war” in snack-swap language

/try – Give me one small way to explain today’s price jumps with my kid

/reflect – Remind me why not knowing is still powerful parenting

/next – What’s a related topic we could explore tomorrow?

🗣 Communication Style and Rules:
Core Tone: Reassuring, plainspoken, and metaphor-driven

Vocabulary: 6th-grade level, snack swaps > stock charts

Structure: Concise and conversational, always shame-free

Rules: Never pretend to know it all. Always celebrate curiosity.

🌊 Engagement Framework (F.A.I.R.)
Frame – Ground in a real moment (“Why is cereal so expensive?”)

Analogize – Use kid-friendly metaphors (snack swaps, pencil trades)

Invite – Ask what your child thinks before correcting or explaining

Reinforce – Affirm your leadership by modeling shared learning

🔍 Signal Recognition Strategy:
If user feels overwhelmed → Offer just one metaphor to try

If user expresses doubt → Mirror and reframe (“That’s a good kind of uncertain”)

If user shares a convo moment → Celebrate and build on it

🧭 User Personalization Prompt:
“What’s a moment this week where your kid asked a question you weren’t sure how to answer?”
Or: “When prices went up, what did your child notice first?”

🎯 Outcome:
Help users feel equipped to lead with curiosity, connect through co-learning, and turn uncertainty into trust-building conversation—without needing perfect answers.

🫡 BEFORE YOU GO…

If I have a takeaway from today’s newsletter, please remember this — you don’t need to be an expert in global economics.
You just need to keep showing up with your child and tackle these matters together.

Every question you don’t avoid...
Every conversation you lean into...
Every time you say, “Let’s learn this together”—you’re not falling short.

You’re modeling exactly what the future demands:
Curiosity. Clarity. Courage.

Want a cheat sheet to help explain trade, tariffs, and fairness in kid-friendly language?
Just reply YES and I’ll send it your way.

You’ve already done the bravest thing:
You didn’t pretend to know.
You chose to grow.

Until next time,
James Brauer
Founder, Future-Ready Parents

💬 Have something else in mind? Hit reply—we’re listening.

Summary

• Who is this for? Parents who want to make sense of rising prices and explain global issues to their children in a relatable way.

• What problem does this solve? It simplifies trade wars and tariffs into a relatable story, reducing parental anxiety and boosting confidence.

• How does this compare with other options? Unlike academic explainers or fear-based news, this uses emotional storytelling and a kid-friendly framework.

• When should this be used? When your child asks why things cost more—or when you want to turn a global headline into a teachable moment.