Petawawa Military Family Resource Centre
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/711198
1. WATCH OR READ THE NEWS WITH YOUR CHILDREN By sitting down and either watching the evening news or reading the daily paper you are able to understand what your child is being exposed to. They may be able to communicate with you that they already have heard about the event through school or friends. If you see that something may be upsetting your child you then have the opportunity to start a conversation on the subject. If the children are younger this also gives you the opportunity to be able to set some guidelines around what they may be exposed to through television, mass media. 2. CREATE OPEN DIALOGUE Children may develop feelings of being unsafe as they get older and are exposed to more information. This may also increase during a deployment. The best way to let children know that they are safe is to talk with them with what they see, hear and are feeling. Explain to them how in your home you are keeping them safe and what safeguards you have in place. It is important to acknowledge how your child feels and let them know not to be ashamed or afraid to talk to you about anything that they see and may not understand. The news is a great opportunity to discuss tough issues with your children. 3. SHARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE NEWS Parents have the opportunity to be the first person to instill a sense of values and morals in their children. As parents it is important to understand that children are born with the innate sense of wanting to know. When you have the opportunity to share your concerns (age appropriate) with you child it provides them with a sense of understanding that the feelings are normal as well as provides them with guidance on the issues. 4. LET YOUR CHILDREN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NEWS AND REALITY Yes all news is real however it is important to clarify for children that news media can report on situation anywhere in the world and in some instances media can lead people to believe that the stories which they are reporting on are closer to home than they actually are or that they happen more frequently than fact. Make sure that you are able to discuss with your child that just because it is reported in the news does not mean that the situation will happen to them. 5. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR CHILD'S FEARS