How To Help Children Understand Sept. 11

How To Help Children Understand Sept. 11

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Story Published: Sep 10, 2002 at 9:28 AM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 12:48 AM PDT

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SEATTLE - It's tough enough for adults to talk about Sept. 11 and terrorism, imagine how difficult it is for children to grasp what really happened.

But we have some advice for how parents should help children understand.

Harborview Medical Center's Traumatic Stress Counseling program says we should reassure young children that they are safe.

  • Tell them in simple words that some bad things happen in the world, but they are safe right now.
  • Answer questions honestly if asked, but don't volunteer a lot of information.
  • Give older children and teens opportunities to express their reactions.
  • There may be many chilling images from one year ago.
  • Older children can reference time but young preschoolers may see those images and think it's happening right now. After all, a year ago may be a quarter of their life and they may not remember.
  • As an adult, it's OK to be emotional, tell your kids about your emotion.

Dr. Bob Beilke with Mary Bridge Children's Hospital says let your kids do what makes them feel comfortable.

"Some kids may not want to do anything and this will be like any other day," he said. "But others will want to do something active, whether it be fly a flag or do something church related."

It would be difficult to avoid the anniversary, and doctors say don't try to hide from it.

People, young and old, will have a wide range of reactions to the anniversary. Some won't feel anything at all, while others may feel sad, angry, frightened, or worried.

Everyone copes differently so it's important to understand and accept others for their individual styles.

For More Information:

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Parents' Guide To Sept. 11 -- www.marybridge.org
Harborview's Traumatic Stress Center -- www.washington.edu/medical/hmc
ABC Web Site For Coping With Sept. 11 -- abcnews.go.com
More Resources For Coping -- abcnews.go.com
ABC Sept. 11 Coverage -- abcnews.go.com/Sept11.

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