{"id":103,"date":"2011-03-19T04:04:31","date_gmt":"2011-03-19T04:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.highlandscouncilpta.org\/?p=103"},"modified":"2011-07-27T01:38:34","modified_gmt":"2011-07-27T01:38:34","slug":"talking-to-children-about-the-disaster-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/?p=103","title":{"rendered":"Talking to Children About the Disaster in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talking to children about the disaster in Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan has evoked many emotions including sadness, grief and helplessness in many around the world.<\/p>\n

As children may be struggling with their thoughts and feelings about the stories and images, they may turn to trusted adults for help and guidance.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Start the conversation. Talk about the event with your child. Not talking about it makes the event even more threatening in your child\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind. Silence suggests that what has occurred is too horrible to even speak of or that you may not know about what has happened. Chances are your child has already heard about it.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 What does your child already know? Start by asking what your child has already heard about the events from the media as well as from friends. Listen for what understanding he has reached. As your child explains, listen for misinformation, misconceptions and underlying fears or concerns.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Gently correct inaccurate information. If you hear inaccurate information or misunderstandings, provide the correct information at a level that your child can understand.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Encourage your child to ask questions, and answer those questions directly. Your child may have some difficult questions about the events in Japan. For example, she may ask if it is possible that an earthquake could occur that would impact the family; she is probably really asking whether it is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153likely\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c when appropriate, reassure her the risk of an earthquake in your community is quite low. She is also asking if she is safe. This may be a time to review plans your family has of assuring safety in the event of any crisis situation. Whatever questions your child may have, answer. This lets her know that you are open to talking about anything and can be trusted to answer. Include in your answers any information you may have on efforts being made in Japan to help the people there. Like adults, children are better able to cope with a crisis if they feel they understand it. Question-and-answer exchanges help ensure ongoing support as your child begins to understand the crisis and the response to it.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Limit media exposure. Limit your child\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s media exposure to images and sounds related to the disaster. Remember children often overhear or see what you are watching on television or listening to on the radio. For the very young, exposure should be rare. Remember to limit your own exposure. Adults may become more distressed with nonstop exposure to the event.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Helping those in need. Work with your child to figure out a way that she can help the people who were affected by the disaster, such as making a card that can be sent (often agencies such as churches or Red Cross will accept such cards). If they work, this may include making a small donation from their earnings or allowance. Children may also find benefit in helping others in need in their own community. When children help others, they increase their resilience (their ability to bounce back from stressful events).<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Be a positive role model. Consider sharing your feelings about the events in Japan with your child. This is an opportunity for you to role model how to cope and how to plan for the future. Before you reach out, however, be sure you are able to express a positive or hopeful plan. Included in being a good role model is showing good self-care by getting enough rest, eating well, and exercising.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Be patient. In times of stress, children may have more trouble with their behavior, concentration, and attention. They will need a little extra patience, care, and love.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you have concerns about your child\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior, contact your family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pediatrician, other primary care provider, or a qualified mental health care specialist. For more information on how to help your children cope with disasters, visit the following websites:<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at www.cincinnatichildrens.org\/school-crisis (which includes a helpful booklet on how to talk with children who are grieving)<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 American Academy of Pediatrics website at www.aap.org\/disasters\/adjustment.cfm.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 American Psychological Association at www.apahelpcenter.org.<\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 FEMA at www.ready.gov.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talking to children about the disaster in Japan The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan has evoked many emotions including sadness, grief and helplessness in many around the world. As children may be struggling with their thoughts and feelings about the stories and images, they may turn to trusted adults for help and guidance. \u00ef\u201a\u00b7… Read More »Talking to Children About the Disaster in Japan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highlandscouncilpta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}