Although such conversations can be painful, especially if we're experiencing our own reactions to the trauma, they do help all of us in the long run. Denial of the child's reactions can lead to larger problems later. When children are traumatized, the effects may occur much later than you might expect. It's good for parents to share their own feelings of fear, sadness, anger about an event because it helps children see that these reactions are normal and can provide good coping models. This can be challenging following some disasters, but working toward as normal an environment as possible under the circumstances can help.
Parents can help children find a balance between talking about the event and doing daily tasks.
Many children are quite resilient when dealing with traumatic events, but it's good for parents to know what to look for when their child might be struggling. Although these signs might be related to other things, if the signs persist, are intense, are different following the trauma, or if several occur for your child, it could be a sign of a traumatic reaction. The sooner a post-traumatic reaction is determined and treated, the better the outcome is likely to be for the child. A qualified mental health professional can help the child and the parents. Play therapy can be very effective with traumatized children.