In light of the devastating attacks in France, I have found a post from A Mighty Girl on Facebook that gives us a different perspective from the news and media.
Please read this and remember, there might be evil in this world that we could highlight and acknowledge, or we could give light to those who help others in the time of conflict – the Angels risking their lives whilst we watch on from the safety of our homes.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of France in the wake of several devastating attacks in Paris.
As with many tragedies that are covered extensively in the media, children who hear about them may be confused or scared. Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood once shared a thoughtful approach for comforting children and instilling a sense of hope in them in the face of such incomprehensible events:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” — Fred Rogers
Hand in Hand Parenting also provides many great tips for parents on how to talk to kids about shocking events — be they natural disasters or senseless violence — in their article at http://www.handinhandparenting.org/article/helping-children-exposed-to-shocking-events
You can find more resources, including tips for parents related to media coverage, on the website of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network at http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/terrorism.
Thank you for reading.
Thoughts by Mello-Elo 