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As I write this my heart is heavy. It is very disheartening to me that I now live in a world where I even have to discuss this topic with my children. Unfortunately, the world is not full of nice and loving people. My heart goes out to the loved ones of innocent people whose lives are destroyed by hate and destruction. In light of recent events, I feel that it is necessary to talk to my children to some extent about how to feel and deal with the tragedies of the world.
In our house, we never watch the news as a family. I am actually even afraid to turn on the TV at times because I don’t want my kids to see these awful things. I vividly remember watching the news after dinner every night as a family as a child. Those days are no more. Don’t get me wrong, I do not want my kids to live in a bubble and have no idea what is happening in the world! I do however feel that it is my job to filter and somewhat shelter them from some of the harsh realities of the world.
Children are born with the innate quality to love. Hate is a learned trait that is hard for them to wrap their little heads around. I am at a loss for words when my kids say to me “but why would someone do this horrible thing?” Sometimes, as a parent, I just don’t have all the answers. So how do you talk to your kids about world tragedies, like mass shootings, and give them the appropriate information about these senseless acts of violence?
I try to give my children enough info so that they are knowledgeable about the subject, but not give them every little horrid detail. With the realities that they will most likely hear about it somehow through the internet or social media I want them to hear it from me first.
Here are some resources I found online that can help you navigate how to approach these issues.
PBS parents has some great resources on this topic. I especially love their article How to Help Kids Feel Safe After Tragedy. They have a great section broken down by age to give you some appropriate guidelines. They have a great tip to listen to the news on the radio instead of the TV so kids can get the info they need without all of the horrible imagery.
The Mayo Clinic has an article on helping children cope with a tragedy. The premise of the article is to focus on the basics and don’t give them every little tedious detail.
They have an amazing series of articles on dealing with all different types of tragedies from school bullying to terrorism. They have multiple charts and PDFs that you can download with lots of useful information too.
The American Association of Pediatrics has a great article on helping children cope and promoting healing.
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that the world is not filled with kind and loving people. Hopefully, these resources will help you talk to your kids about the tragedies of the world. Give your kids some extra loving today and let them know that it will be ok.
Lisa is a Lifestyle, Family and Travel Writer who has a love of all things travel, all things food, and all things living life. She gives family travel tips, the inspiration to dream, and the real deal of family life. It is not always roses and daisies, but that's life!
It’s such a shame that we even need to worry about this, but we do. Great post. I worry about the day that my son is old enough to understand that awful things can happen in this world.
We don’t watch the news as a family either, and for the same reasons. My little ones were actually having nightmares! It’s still important to talk about world events in an age appropriate manner thought. I didn’t even know these resources were out there. Thanks for the info!
Gosh, I love that you are proactive and seek to inform your children in the best way possible. The reality serves in the manner that we will all experience tragedy and your are not protected because of your age. Effectively teaching them how to deal and cope with these situations is definitely a foot in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing those resources. I feel the same way. I never have the news on in our house and want to shelter them from the hate in this world. Like many parents, I had to speak to them about the Vegas tragedy and did not have answers for them as to “why” someone would such a thing.
Thanks for sharing the resources. I’ll be sure to look them up. I’m dreading having these conversations and my kids asking “why?” And I’ll have no answers for them.
I remember the days of watching the news everyday, and how slowly thing have changed when my children were younger to today. The information the children I care for are seeing/hearing everyday is so sad. You are right the hard truth is that we have to keep them informed in the today’s world 🌏
Awh thanks for sharing! These would help me someday. I know I shouldn’t keep world tragedies a secret but sometimes I feel like I do not want to rid the kids of their innocence yet. It’s really hard to open up these kinds of things to them but then I know that someday they should know that they’re not living in some kind of Never Land.
Thank you so much for sharing these resources! It is such a difficult thing to talk about with the kids, and it’s so unfortunate that there have been so many events to discuss lately.
It’s such a shame that we even need to worry about this, but we do. Great post. I worry about the day that my son is old enough to understand that awful things can happen in this world.
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing these valuable resources to help when talking to or children about trajedies! We live in such a scary world
You are so welcome!
We don’t watch the news as a family either, and for the same reasons. My little ones were actually having nightmares! It’s still important to talk about world events in an age appropriate manner thought. I didn’t even know these resources were out there. Thanks for the info!
Gosh, I love that you are proactive and seek to inform your children in the best way possible. The reality serves in the manner that we will all experience tragedy and your are not protected because of your age. Effectively teaching them how to deal and cope with these situations is definitely a foot in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing those resources. I feel the same way. I never have the news on in our house and want to shelter them from the hate in this world. Like many parents, I had to speak to them about the Vegas tragedy and did not have answers for them as to “why” someone would such a thing.
This is great. I’ve been struggling on how to talk to my kids about this. They see me upset but it’s so hard to explain to them. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing the resources. I’ll be sure to look them up. I’m dreading having these conversations and my kids asking “why?” And I’ll have no answers for them.
I remember the days of watching the news everyday, and how slowly thing have changed when my children were younger to today. The information the children I care for are seeing/hearing everyday is so sad. You are right the hard truth is that we have to keep them informed in the today’s world 🌏
Awh thanks for sharing! These would help me someday. I know I shouldn’t keep world tragedies a secret but sometimes I feel like I do not want to rid the kids of their innocence yet. It’s really hard to open up these kinds of things to them but then I know that someday they should know that they’re not living in some kind of Never Land.
Thank you so much for sharing these resources! It is such a difficult thing to talk about with the kids, and it’s so unfortunate that there have been so many events to discuss lately.