Genre: Instruction

How to talk to your children about natural disasters In parenting, sometimes nothing is as scary as reality. We wish we could keep our children's lives full of rainbows, unicorns and fancy trucks that fly. But we can't. Because at some point, our children are going to learn about the reality of life, loss and scary things that are out of our control. First and foremost, make sure your child knows she is safe If nothing else, it's your responsibility as a parent to keep your child safe. And the first way to do that is to tell them they're safe. Offering hugs and security is your job. So when you sit your child down, make sure he knows that you will do everything you can to keep him as safe as he is, always. During natural disasters, things can always get out of hand. But your kids will feel confident knowing that you're doing your best for them. Be gentle in your discussion Next, tell your children that something horrible or scary or unplanned happened in the world in a very calm voice. If it makes you cry, that's okay, you're sharing your emotional ties to the story. Let them know that what happened is something no one wants to happen and how hard it is for you to share it or know it. But don't tell them more than they need to know. Let your child ask the questions After you tell your child the basics, go ahead and open the floor to their questions and let their questions take them where they need to go. They likely don't need to know all the statistics that the news is sharing. They may be more interested in what is happening to pets or how kids can get to a hospital. Most likely, kids will need to know how this disaster will affect them or could affect them. Stick with answering their questions and you'll keep your children safe. Expect a follow-up, or two A day or so after we shared the Haitian earthquake in 2010 with our kids, my 4 year old came to me saying "I don't know what an Earthquake is." It turned out that he'd been thinking about it off and on through the day before, rolling around the possibilities and the answers we'd given then. But his persona is one that needs to know how things happen. So we took that opportunity to explain fault lines and the earth shifting. Had we shared all of this when we told him about the quake, he might have been overwhelmed with facts. He asked when he was ready. Offer ways you can help as a family As Pennsylvanian's we were fortunate during Hurricane Sandy. Our house had minimal damage and we never lost power. We know it could have been much worse. During the worst of the storm, my kids and I cleaned out their closets, trying on clothing and setting things aside to give to charity. Later that week, when discussing what to do with the extra 5-year-old boy clothing, my son asked if we could bring it to the kids that lost their homes. While that wasn't possible, we researched drop-off points and lists of supplies and things needed. When we found a drop-off (the ladies of PSMM teamed up to donate), my son raced to his room to find more to help. Many kids want to help other kids, especially those who are able to imagine if they lost their own homes. Further resources to discuss disasters with your kids I posted Earthquakes for Kids lists several parent conversations and resources after the Japanese Tsunami in 2011. About Julie Meyers Pron Julie Meyers Pron has written 1051 post in this blog. mom of 3 and wife, Julie is a former elementary school teacher and a Public Relations manager. She is the owner/editor of Just Precious, founding partner of Just Centsible, and a team member of Splash Creative Media. Julie is a PTOer, volunteer, elementary educator and that's just the beginning of the list. I have a feeling it's very different outside of this area. Here, it's consumed us. But I've talked to people in the midwest who aren't anywhere near as affected. I'm sure if it had happened on the west coast our kids would barely know about it.