Kids Need 'Grounding' in Wake of Media Barrage

Parents and educators can ease children's anxiety over yesterday's attacks in the U.S. by emphasizing the youngsters' own reality and controlling their access to 24-hour media images of the attacks say members of UVic's education faculty.

"Children are deluged with information. We have to ground them in their own reality and remind them that these events are not happening right next door," says Dr. David De Rosenroll, a member of the counsellor education group in the department of educational psychology and leadership studies. "Remind them that they are in a safe place and that you are there for them. Extra reassurance is good at bedtime. Make time for extra cuddles."

"Keep kids talking about their feelings, but also discuss our faith in human kind. We can get very negative very quickly and go to a hopeless, helpless place. Talk to children about the heroics of the emergency workers and how people helped each other," adds Dr. Norah Trace, another member of the counsellor education group. She advises parents to maintain a child's regular routine and do activities together.

Fellow faculty member Dr. Jillian Roberts also advocates keeping family routines intact and giving children lots of opportunity to talk and ask questions but advises parents to keep their answers in proportion to what the youngsters are asking. "Don't give kids more information than they need. And I caution parents to not look to their kids for emotional support. Parents should seek that out from other adults."

Witnessing the horrific images of the attacks in New York and Washington does have a neurological effect on children says Dr. Sharon Stanley, a sessional instructor with the faculty "The neurological system becomes hyper sensitive and the fight-or-flee mechanism kicks in. Kids who can't activate their fight mechanism may freeze or withdraw. Others may want to fight. This is a healthy response to fear, but encourage your children to give it a healthy outlet. Maybe engage in some playful wrestling with them, but do it slowly in gradual amounts."

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