Pediatric Psychologist Shares Tips On How To Talk To Your Child About The War In Ukraine
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The images are scary for anyone, but the war in Ukraine may cause worry and even fear in small children who see or hear about the unrest.
When talking to them, keep it straightforward, says Cleveland Clinic pediatric psychologist Vanessa Jensen.
"It's far away and that's something that grownups do – let the grownups take care of this right now, OK. We get to take care of you and then we'll make sure the adults take care of that. So, sometimes you just need to simplify it," she said.
Jensen says kids of any age can be bothered by what they're seeing. The images can show up in nightmares and night terrors.
She says it's a good idea to monitor what children see and guard against showing disturbing images to younger children.
If a child has seen something upsetting, jensen says to ask lots of questions to gage what they know and how they feel.
"If you see things or hear things that either you wonder about or are just kind of scary, let's talk about it. Help them normalize those thoughts. It's OK to feel kind of scared that this is happening in our world," she said.
If a child is feeling unsafe, Jensen says it might help to show them Ukraine on a map so they see the fighting is far away.
No matter your child's age, she says all children need extra support and reassurance from their parents right now.
Jensen says sometimes doing something helps lessen a child's anxiety, she suggests making a card for someone in the military, praying for the safety of people in Ukraine or sending warm thoughts and wishing them well.