National crisises may have an unanticipated impact on children, especially those with pre-exisiting vulnerabilities. 

In times of national crisis, children may be exposed to images and stories that provoke their sense of fear and helplessness. A few tips for parents are listed below:

• Limit or turn off the televison and do not play those events over and over. With teens, watch televiosn with them and talk about how the media portrays the crisis. Limit famliy exposire to media and emphasize those who helped. 
• Monitor your child's intake of information. The rule is the younger the child, the less information they need. Ask them what they have heard and what they know, focus on listening to what they say.
• Role model that you can tolerate strong feelings. Listening is often a way to show that you can handle these emotions and modeling that your children can too.Do not be dismissive of their feelings. Be careful about the things you speculate about, your children may be listening. 
• Be authentic. Acknowledge that you may be scared or saddened. Be careful about the things you speculate about, your children may be listening. Do not feel like you have to answer all your children's questions. Listening is the most important part. If you do not know, say you do ot know. 
• Reinforce safety.  Even though we see these images on television, our country is generally safe. Again, empasize the role of the helpers. 
• Keep the dialog open. Check in with your children about how they are feeling. 
• Closely monitor children with a history of anxiety and stress. National crisises may trigger their anxiety and be harder for them to process. Pay attention to their sleep and appetite. 

As always, please contact the School Counselor if you have any questions or concerns.