Mass Shootings Gang Violence Child Abuse Terrorism Racial Hatred
In a world seemingly gone mad where many adults feel overwhelmed from headlines, children need more guidance than ever to navigate the tsunami of negative news washing over them daily.
The greatest fear for children, as well as adults, is having no control over events. For children to cope with the world today, they must be able to express and share their feelings and feel empowered to impact change.
Here are ways you can help:
- Use age-appropriate filtering of children’s exposure to the news while recognizing you can’t filter everything
- Let children know you are interested in their feelings about current events, without being judgmental
- Encourage, without forcing, children to share their opinions about troubling events
- It’s okay to admit sometimes you worry about things too
- Notice any change in a child’s pattern like not sleeping or eating lasting more than a few days that may indicate professional counseling may be indicated
- From toddlers on up, empower children to affect change: contribute to a cause, commit to random acts of kindness, or take a stand against bullying
- Be a role model and demonstrate how one person can make a difference: write to your congressman, volunteer, educate yourself about issues, vote, support organizations that are important to you, and speak up at community meetings
- Recognize education goes a long way in finding solutions
- Remind children that your family supports and protects each other
We all become stronger when empowered to work for the common good.