Telling children about traumatic events is a challenge.
Our society exposes children to sights and sounds that they are too young to fully understand. Whether they are sexualized music videos or violent movies, children are interpreting these media images in their own way. More often than not, children are also forced to experience traumatic events they see on the news or go through in real life. Talking to children about these events is not an easy task, as they may think these tragedies will become part of their daily lives. Therefore, you must practice extreme caution and common sense when doing so.
Limited Information
Tell your younger children limited information about the event. For example, if their grandpa has just passed away from cancer, tell them that grandpa has moved on to a better place. Leave out any information about cancer as this could cause them to think they will contract the disease. Tell them only as much as they need to know for the time being. Talk about what really happened when they become older and more capable of understanding these events. Psychologists call this "unequivocal information," designed to answer a child's questions about tragic events without going into explicit detail.
Programs
Provide your children with newspapers and magazines specifically made for their age. Search for a children's version of a world news magazine and subscribe to it. These periodicals confront tragic disasters and other events in ways that children can easily understand. Read these items with your children and hold discussions about what you have read. This provides them with a less sensational alternative to regular newspapers.
Context
Contextualize the event for your children. If your children come to you with questions about a tragic event they saw on the news, connect it to a larger theme. Talk about overcoming hardships if they ask about an earthquake that recently happened in a developing country. Tell them about how affected people are coming together to help clear rubble in the quake's aftermath or how the Red Cross is working hard to ensure they have clean food and shelter. Talk about how their strength is shining through in trying times. This helps turn an unfortunate news story into a positive discussion about the human ability to cope with tragedy.
Communication
Talk about current events with your child often. Ask them what they think about the events and why they think these events happen. This forces children to think about the events and analyze reasons behind them, helping them understand better.
Older Children
Hold more informative discussions with your older children, preferably ones in their early to mid-teens. Older children are more likely to be skeptical of news stories, choosing to hide their anxieties about them instead of sharing. Encourage your child to talk openly about their fears. Be as truthful about the events as possible since you do not have to hold back because of their age. Let them know you are there for them to talk with at anytime about anything.
Tags: Talk about, your children, about events, these events, they think, with your