Sounds like too much media. We were exposed to many personal war stories from birth but we only were allowed limited tv so we knowledgeable of current events but not saturated.
Regards, *Stephanie Smoot* 857 368-9175 work 781 941-6842 personal cell *617 595-5217 *work cell 126 Chestnut Circle Lincoln, MA 01773 On Thu, Feb 24, 2022 at 10:10 AM Margit Griffith <mar...@fplincoln.org> wrote: > Dear Neighbors, > > I was recently asked, "How do I speak to my grandchildren about war?" For > a moment, I had to pause; children and war do not belong in the same > sentence. Sadly, children are all too often among the casualties - of > life, of home/place, of emotional stability - when there is war. But for > those who are far away, how do we help them understand? My answer to > this is layered. > > For small children, thinking about war is not in their wheelhouse. There > is no reason to bring their attention to it, to discuss it in front of > them, to have them see the news. Our responsibility as parents and caring > adults is to shield them from this. What they do need is to learn the > values of kindness, caring, sharing, being a good friend. But we know, > kids pick-up on things, especially their parents' emotions - and I love > this book... it not only names what they might be feeling, but also gives > them some action to take... The Breaking News, by Sarah Lynne Reul > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-U3lF5Ei_E (this Youtube video is the > author reading the story) > > With values lessons shared with very young children, there is a foundation > to explain war to slightly older children. War is not kind nor caring. > War is about grabbing, not sharing. War is not about friendship. The > values we raise-up as most important can be compared to the lack of values > warring represents. We can talk about the Nobel Peace Prize and the Peace > Corps in addition to talking slightly about what a child may have heard > about what's happening in the world. > > Children in later middle school ages and above can have a frank discussion > about why the war is taking place. What is being fought over? Why now? > Who are the key players? This is a time to mention your concern about loss > of life, the emotional damage to survivors, the refugees wars produce. > Share your feelings as well as the facts. Naming feelings of concern, > frustration, anger - all the emotions - helps children identify the things > they are feeling... it gives it a name. Knowing how you feel and letting > others know how you feel is a life skill. > > For young children, they should be shielded from the TV. For older > children, if you decide to watch news broadcasts (IF!), it should be > limited and watched with you (for later discussion). At all times and > will all children, parents and caring adults should reassure them they are > safe. That you are there to do everything in your power to keep them > safe. If children fixate on or become truly anxious about what's going on, > call your pediatrician. They are (or should be) wonderful resources for > helping you parent on all levels. They can help you determine if your > child's reaction is on an anticipated spectrum or if there is concern. > > If you have any questions or would like to talk about your concerns, you > can hit the "Ask Margit" button on First Parish in Lincoln's website for > Children, Youth, and Families... > https://www.fplincoln.org/children-youth-and-families/ > > Yours in Care and Compassion, > Margit > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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