Hello Everyone,
- First
of all, remember that your child has valid fears, concerns and opinions,
even if you do not agree with them or know how they reached their
conclusion. So the first step to being that oasis is to validate
them genuinely and show that their reactions matter. You can't work
through their reaction until you can identify with them from their point
of view!
- MAINTAIN
A SENSE OF NORMALCY. There are many fears that events unfolding in
the world will lead to numerous scary consequences for everyone.
Validate those fears (see below) but also reinforce how their lives
are still the same, particularly many aspects of their routines and daily
life. This will go great lengths to easing anxiety around fears that
everything is going to fall apart.
- Set
aside a "worry time" consistently each day where you and your
child discuss their worries and ask about the events they hear about.
Structure this time around calming and relaxing activities to help
them transition smoothly into and out of worry time. Worry time and
bed time do not play nicely together!
- TAKE
TIME FOR FUN!
- Recognize
that children often speak through very fluid and often complex metaphors.
For example, an expressed fear is that the newly elected president
will permit more police brutality because of certain verbal statements
that have been made. Investigate into the metaphor being used to
find the underlying meaning and concern, which can then be addressed.
- When
targeting a specific worry, use balanced and neutral facts to provide
counterpoints to whatever facts the child has developed to support that
worry. For example, speaking with them about Black Lives Matter and
its efforts to curb police violence as a counterpoint to the
"imminent increase in police brutality".
- As a
side note, it is very, and
I cannot stress enough, very important
that counter-facts and opinions are presented as balanced and
non-partisan as possible.
- You are their "expert" and as such provide your child with facts of life and help them navigate their social world. As they are often very concrete thinkers and unable to contemplate wider, abstract concepts such as many people having many other opinions, that can vary from topic to topic, a child is likely to take information and see it as "the gospel truth" and not something to budge from. If you can provide information from different perspectives and stress that people have different opinions you can make great contributions to their ability to handle peers and their reactions and opinions.
- Remember that children in general, may not understand the implications of their actions or statements being made by parents or others. They may also not understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate contexts in which to share them. They may think they are simply stating a fact, while it actually is a negative message some might find hurtful or worrying. You can make sure that your child struggles less around this aspect by monitoring what you say and providing balanced information.
- Help
your child find appropriate outlets to express their conclusions and views
where it will be seen as constructive and non-detrimental to them from a
consequences standpoint.
- Encourage
communication with your child's teacher, therapist, and other service
providers around ways they can express themselves and share their fears
safely and healthily.
- Encourage
understanding of the event being discussed by using metaphor to explain
the complexities of why the event(s) are important. This may be more
beneficial for younger children than older ones, but one idea is to use
the CBT model, especially for kids already in treatment for anxiety, to
apply it to understand how society responds to these events the way it
does.
- Remember
to speak to the child's intelligence and ability to understand relevant
concepts.
- Again
avoid using bias and personal beliefs when answering questions the
event(s). It is normal to have a wide variety of reactions to
negative event as well as to have some positive ones depending on which
side of the fence you are sitting on. Emphasize that point,
especially around domestic and local issues, because your child
undoubtedly goes to school with children of families both sides of the
issue, hearing their opinion. This holds especially true for YOU as
the oasis, when discussing worries around race, gender, religion, etc. and
their impacts on how the event is relevant to them and the community.
- Limit
screen time to the television, computer, other electronic devices, and
social media. Many children communicate easier through social media,
yet they are simultaneously exposed to more frequent inputs about world
events, peer opinions (see my post on social media anxiety), and views not
in context of wider issues. You can help them make sense of it.
- Move slowly and in slow increments. We may be able to process our responses faster than children and do not struggle with managing reactions to such a degree as a result of our greater experience of having been around on this earth longer. The topic and same concerns may come up repeatedly until the child feels safe enough to move on to the next one. Be patient, breathe, and move slowly through each one giving as much time as is needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment