Every evening when we turn on the news, we see many news that will cause us anxiety. Pandemics, natural disasters, terrorist attacks... Parents and educators need to tell children correctly about many tragedies and concerns in order to cope with them.
To hide the news of the Russia-Ukraine war, which we have seen frequently on television and social media lately, from children, and this It is not right to avoid talking about the situation. We should definitely give answers and explanations to the children about this issue. Therefore, we can follow these points on how to talk about this situation with children;
Let the child lead.
Children's war news, they may have heard from friends, family, or distant surroundings. In this case, it is normal for them to ask questions. When children ask you some war-related questions, you should let them ask questions freely. Don't give out too much information as this may be too difficult for the child to understand. Instead, try to answer their questions. Do your best to answer honestly and openly. It's okay if you can't answer everything; Remember that the important thing is to be with the child.
Find out exactly what she knows.
Try to understand what they perceived and how much they knew in all the questions they asked or all the answers they gave. Don't try to answer all the questions they ask you. If necessary, you can say "I don't know". However, even if you say you don't know, mention the points where you can go from the question. Keep your points positive. For example, bring the subject to peace and security always. Also, present all the answers you know in as concrete and simplistic terms as possible.
Talk about their feelings.
Talking about children's feelings is the best way to support them. Allow them to tell you about their concerns, fears, or expectations with the questions you ask. By allowing and encouraging them to express their feelings, you can help them develop coping skills that will help them in the future and their confidence that they can overcome challenges. You can draw pictures so that she can express her feelings or tell stories that will make her happy.
Make them feel safe.
The thing that children worry most about is whether they are safe or not. Bring the subject to examples of how safe they are after talking about their feelings. Let them relax by suggesting that this situation will not affect their daily life. Children often focus most on whether something like this will happen to them. Therefore, it is important that you reassure the child how unusual such events are and the safety measures taken to prevent such things from happening, and explain it all in a simplistic way.
Open mass media in a controlled manner.
It is of great importance in this period not to leave the news broadcast on the television open all the time or to pay attention to the use of the internet. Especially experts say that it is healthier not to turn on the television at all near children under the age of 7 during this period. Keeping children away from images of violence in the media is the most important step to prevent these scenes from creating a traumatic effect on the child.
Be honest about your own feelings.
Children know there is a problem and they are aware of the situation. When they ask you if you're worried, you need to be honest. You might say, 'Yes, I am, but this will end.' Or, 'We can get through this.' you can say. It's okay to tell children if you're sorry, but the most important point is that if you talk to the child in a highly emotional way about a traumatic experience, it can make them anxious. Instead, if you stay calm, it will be easier for you to understand what is important and allow you to convey the current situation more accurately.
As parents and educators, the best thing we can do for children is to help them cope and be strong in all these crisis situations in the healthiest way possible. to help.
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