It is, of course, 9/11. I wish I had seen
this newsletter from Sesame Workshop a while ago. Because my daughter, who was an infant at the time of the attacks, is now six, and some of the events of that day have entered her consciousness. She watched an episode of
Reading Rainbow where kids sent supplies to the students at a school near the twin towers, and somehow she got the idea that the school was the target of bombing. And how do you correct this? "No, honey, people crashed planes into these other buildings." Then she asks, "Were any kids killed?" And worse, "Why did they do that?"
The newsletter, which came out a year after the attacks, has tips for talking to kids about the tragedy, and top of the list is to listen to your kids. Also right up there is to limit media exposure. It's a good reminder, because when we adults can hardly bear something, it's likely kids are going to fare far worse. The newsletter also has tips for different age groups, and even some more general resources for helping children with trauma and grief. Take care.
