healthmedicinet

 

For Children of All ages

 

Children need to have answers to three fundamental questions:

 

• Am I safe?
• Are you, the people who take care of me, safe?
• How will these events affect my daily life?

 

It’s important to provide answers to these questions, even if your children don’t put them into words.  You should expect to answer these questions several times over the next few days and perhaps longer.  Keeping as normal a schedule as possible will help reassure your children as well.

 

• In the next day or two, children will be very upset at the images of mourning friends and family members.  Often this will make them concerned about the safety of their own family.  It’s important to reassure children that you’re doing everything you can to stay safe so that you can take care of them.

 

 

• your feelings with your children. Let them know that it’s OK to be frightened or sad or angry – that’s part of being human.

                                                           

• While you should try to answer your children’s questions at a level they can understand, remember that you don’t have to have an immediate answer for everything.  Some questions don’t have any good answers.  Right now we do not know why this happened or who did it. No one has these answers.

 

• They will certainly see you and others around you texting, calling, emailing to see if friends and other family members are safe. And they may have a chance to see or hear things on the news – on TV or on the computer.

 

 

 

 

Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers:

 

Very young children are more disturbed by their parents’ and caregivers’ distress than by the actual events.  That’s why they’re comforted more by your actions than your words.

 

• Expect young children to regress emotionally a bit. They may become clinging or whiny, have difficulty sleeping.  The more patient and reassuring you are, the more quickly this will pass. Much of their reactions will be in response to seeing that you are upset.
• Spend extra time hugging and cuddling with your child.  This will reassure both of you.  Your child may want to sleep in your bed.  That’s OK, especially at times like this. 
• If you wish to watch or listen to news coverage of the aftermath of the attack, do so while your very young children are not in the room. They do not yet have the ability to put the frightening images they see into perspective.

 

School-Age Children:

 

Encourage your school-age children to share their feelings and concerns with you.    Reports of taking victims to the hospitals may frighten them, even though they may be afraid or embarrassed to admit it. Let them know that it’s all right for them to be upset,

and that you’ll do everything you can to protect them from harm.

 

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