This is the slideshow presentation of Midgie Standridge, featuring her blog about how to effectively teach children about the traumatic events that go on all over the world. As a social worker who focuses on the growth and mental health of children, Midgie Standridge has a special understanding of how to communicate with kids, whether it is a happy topic or sad.

1. Talking to Children
About Traumatic
Events
By Midgie Standridge

2. None of us think much of walking through metal detectors
anymore; only a few pause to wonder when a police siren
blares loudly nearby, forgetting about it almost right away.

3. We've all adjusted our lives to integrate
excessive caution, almost to the point of
habit, without so much as a second
thought about it.

4. The injustice, dangers and elements of unpredictability of the
World that threaten to disrupt our lives at any moment seem to be
anticipated, even expected, with precautionary measures that may
once have lingered on the borders of paranoia.

5. Yet, history stands testimonial to the fact
that something horrible almost always
happens to every generation, including ours,
regardless of erring on the side of caution.

6. Planes go missing, tsunamis swallow thousands of homes, bombs
get dropped on densely-populated areas regularly and children get
shot at schools.

7. Families are torn apart by the hundreds in horrendous
mass destruction by nature or man or sometimes a
grocery-store robbery, a misfire, an accident leave
behind bereft families whose loss, though less
publicized, is my no means any less.

8. It is hard to not prepare for a life with potential
traumatic misfortunes, even harder to live with these
happenstances.

9. Perhaps one of the most daunting
aspects of dealing with trauma is
sharing it, especially with those whose
lives are directly affected by the events.

10. Telling children about loss of family or explaining the
circumstances of a crime that directly affects their lives or even
preparing them beforehand for the loss of a loved one is a task we
would all like to avoid very much.

11. However, raising a generation in these times of
seemingly progressive chaos means we must all
face the heartbreaking conversation of opening
their eyes to the realities of the world, ironically,
in order to protect them.

12. Children tend to be more receptive towards the tone of
the conversation rather than the content and usually
only focus on a small amount of information at a time.

13. It is, therefore, important to focus
on conveying the information as
calmly as possible.

14. If the adult is overwhelmed by emotion during the conversation,
the child's memory is likely to be overpowered by the emotions
expressed by the adult, rather than the information provided.

15. A good approach is usually to
ask the child first what they
understand about the situation.

16. Children tend to pick up a lot from peers, surroundings and sheer
observation and it might be easier to fill them in on the things they do
not understand and correct things they misunderstand rather than
explain from scratch and risk overloading them with information.

17. You’re taking a step to educate your child
about the inevitability of loss and destruction
and introducing them to the idea that being
good is not always rewarded fairly

18. This does not necessarily mean this conversation
has to end with them feeling wiser, yet desolate
about the thought of mankind in general.

19. The story of a traumatic event can be explained with
a moral lesson behind it and examples of people who
are working to serve justice, help those affected by
the event, or simply expressing solidarity, to show the
child that not everything is lost.

20. This can be further fortified by engaging the child in volunteer
activities relevant to the cause so that they are in direct
exposure to people who may have experienced similar trauma.

21. The involvement not only helps a child’s
understanding of the matter, but also has an impact
on their attitude about the issue and such children
tend to have a healthier coping mechanism.

22. Allow your child to
ask questions.

23. They are sure to have plenty and even if it
is difficult, try to answer them to the best
of your judgement and inquire how your
child feels about all the new information.

24. Each child has an unique temperament and their reactions are
largely dependent on this and how to choose to move forward
with the information, keeping their temperament in mind.

25. It may seem convenient to allow a child
to grow up simply accepting metal
detectors and security cameras as a
part of their environment.

26. But we’re likely to contribute more to the safety of their future and
of their present by ensuring they fully understand what necessitates
such measures so that they too may learn to exercise caution.