Experts suggest parents to limit young children exposure to the news, especially TV as it tends to report only the most dramatic events. What if the news pictures are all around? What if they ask questions about it?
When the two planes crashed into WTC in 2001, my eldest daughter was in the nursery school 5 minutes walk away from the scene. I ran from midtown where I worked to pick her up. Luckily, the teachers were still there to ensure the safety of the children. We walked over Manhattan Bridge with hundreds of anxious New Yorkers. I was no less scared than any of them. My one-year-old, however, was so tired that she fell into asleep in my arm.
We managed to get back home in Brooklyn hours later. Everything was normal in the neighborhood. I did not turn on TV, radio or any media. I tried to stay calm (pretend to be calm). My daughter did not know anything about 911. To her, it was just like any other day.
When Tsunami hit the Southeast Asia in 2005, I hid the news from my three daughters (5-, 3- and half-year-olds). It was not difficult. But I could not do the same when Hurricane Katrina stuck New Orleans later the year. The news was all over the school. Teachers explained what hurricane was in the class. I could not stop them.
Just this month, we had two major natural disasters – cyclone in Myanmar and earthquake in China. This time, I have nowhere to hide my kids from the news. They heard about it from school. When we were in Chinatown, the sad pictures are on front covers of all Chinese newspapers. Since newspapers were displayed and sold in every block of the town, one could not avoid seeing them. Several community organizations set up booths on the streets (almost every other block) asking for donation to the relief fund. Even the school sent out notice asking for donation.
So, I took another path. I proactively showed my children the disaster pictures on the Internet and explained to them what happened. They were sad, but did not cry. My main messages to them were:
- Be thankful for what you have. Some other kids could not even have water.
- Help when you can. The money you give up for a bubble tea (their favorite Asian drink) is enough to feed a family over there a healthy meal.
- Sad things happen. Be strong if it happens to you.
We mourned for few minutes. As soon as I offered ice-cream, smiley faces came back. My children were happy again.
... It is me who cannot put away the sad images, cannot stop thinking about what-if. Maybe it is better to take the news when you are young, when it is easier to be distracted and effortless to stay positive.
No comments:
Post a Comment