At the end of last week, we woke up with the news of war in Europe. I’m not going to discuss the responsibilities and the actions that led to this war (I will leave that for other posts – and twitter…), but it is expected that in the next days and weeks we will have more and more news about a war that is not that far from us. And we need to be aware that this news can have an impact on our children and young people, as it can be particularly troublesome.
Following the advice from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, let’s make an additional effort to (a) monitor the ammount of time children watch news shows, (b) make sure there is adequate time and a quiet place to talk following an upsetting broadcast, (c) watch the news with children, (d) ask what they have heard and what questions they may have, (e) provides reassurance regarding their own safety, and (f) look for signs the news may have triggered fears or anxieties, including sleeplessness, night terrors, bedwetting, crying, or talking about being afraid.
When discussing TV violence with our children and young people, please make sure you are age-appropriate, and always acknowledge their fears and reassure them of their safety. Children who have seen violent acts on TV (even if in movies) may become fearful that such things might happen to them. Acknowledge their fears and reassure them
Pragmatic Idealism 