How To Help Kids Cope With A Disaster

By Author: Leo Nov
Total Articles: 883
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It's difficult for anyone to deal with a tragedy or natural disaster and try to restore a normal life afterwards. It is an even bigger challenge for children when disaster strikes and so they need more help in order to cope.
Children can display emotional stress through different behavior that may vary over time. For instance, young kids may return to old behaviors like bed-wetting or those that bring them comfort such as thumb-sucking. Some children suddenly lose appetite, have difficulty sleeping or become needy while others suddenly withdraw, act indifferent or become aggressive.
All of these are manifestations of emotional effects of a tragic experience. As a parent, teacher, guardian or grownup friend, what can you do?
Pacify the child's fears.
A good first step is to acknowledge the child's feelings. Usually, what makes kids afraid are the thought of getting hurt, losing someone they love or being separated from their family. If you experienced severe flood damage, the child could be terrified of another flood happening or possibly drowning. Do not trivialize these concerns but rather tell the ...
... child that you understand what he or she is feeling.
Let the child know that the proper authorities like the President, your city mayor, their school principal, are all working together to ensure everyone's safety. For parents, it is very important to reassure your child that you will do your best to protect your family.
Be truthful.
As you try to ease children's fears, be honest and don't say things like "It will never happen again" or "nothing can ever harm them". Just tell them that they are safe now and that you will always do your best to make sure that they are safe.
Engage them in conversation to learn what they are thinking and what they understand about the event. They may have wrong perceptions that are feeding their fears that you need to correct. However, when answering their questions, provide age-appropriate answers based on facts. Don't give them too many details that will just confuse them more.
If you do not know the answer to their question, don't make something up. Saying you don't know is not a sign of weakness. You can tell them you'll try to find out the answer or if it's one of the mysteries of the world, tell them bright people are at work in discovering answers.
Overcome your own negative emotions.
Children whose parents handle emotional stress well after a disaster are most likely to cope much better and recover faster. Try to maintain your normal routine to show children that life should go on. It will give kids a sense of order and security if the family follows a schedule. Gradually, they will be encouraged to live their daily lives as they did before the incident.
Being a good role model doesn't mean you should act unaffected by the whole event. That could just make them feel worse because it would appear as if they are being weak or ridiculous for being disturbed or sad about the event when you're not.
So, it's perfectly okay to let them know how you are really feeling. The important thing is to make it clear that you are not angry at them or upset because of what they did. Stay calm as you work through your emotions and always end conversations on a hopeful note.
Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS.com, a leading service provider for water damage cleanups. To learn more about flood cleanup and water removal services, visit RestorationSOS.com.