Tip Sheet Thursday: Talking to kids about 9/11
Seven years ago today I was playing with my baby girl's toes, and she was happily chortling, when my husband called to tell me that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers.
As I turned on the TV and digested what had happened, I felt the need to keep smiling at the baby, to not project onto her the awfulness of what was unfolding. Even though the baby is now in second grade, I find myself still trying to avoid the subject.
But, of course, the world doesn't avoid it. Leah learned last year about what had happened during her school library time. Turns out that the librarian had the right idea about how to address the topic with a group of first-graders, many of them born in 2001. "You were the good news" that year, my daughter reported she told them. "And this was the bad news."
So I thought today's Tip Sheet might address how to talk to kids about the 9/11 anniversary. Feel free to add your own:
(AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout)
--This site from the University of Missouri says to plan ahead and to be extra vigilant about today's television viewing, since footage of the disaster is likely to be played repeatedly.
--Talk with your child if she seems interested, says the University of Missouri site, but keep in mind her age and maturity level. This is a time to do more listening than talking; let her finish her sentences, and find a time when you can give her full attention. Young children may be frightened by too many details.
--Validate your children's feelings, even if school events or some other exposure to the topic has frightened them, says a guide from the New York University Child Study Center that was developed for the fifth anniversary of the attacks. Reassure kids that you'll do everything you can to keep them safe.
--There's more on dealing with childhood trauma and teaching about Sept. 11 here.
--This article posted on the TeacherVision web site, written shortly after the attacks, give some age-specific ideas on how to deal with the subject.
