Natural Disasters and Your Children

An earthquake devastates Haiti, snowstorns plague the East Coast, another earthquake causes a state of catastrophe in Chile, and now tsunamis have threatened the Pacific seaboard. With cable television, it doesn't matter if these disasters are in our town or thousands of miles away; we now experience them in our own living room.

As a concerned citizen, I am captivated by the round-the-clock media coverage. However, as a parent, I must consider the effect of these "disaster reports" on my children.

With the constant images of destruction from the recent earthquakes, my children are no longer asking me as many questions about this weekend's slumber party or our upcoming trip to Disneyland. Instead, they ask why those families don't have home, or why can't the children find their families. They are starting to fear that something will to our home and they'll loose us. They hold our hands a little tighter, snuggle a little closer, and never want to let us out of their sight. It reminds me of how my husband and I felt on our son's first birthday, September 11, 2001. We held him tighter, snuggled a little closer, and never wanted him out of our sight either.

It is difficult to explain to children that accidents happen. However, children need to know the facts about these types of disasters. And, they should hear it from you rather than the sometimes diluted, sometimes exaggerated version they hear elsewhere. Let them know that because we see these things on the television doesn't make them any more likely to happen to us. Explain to them that accidents do happen, though; and while we can't predict them, we can take responsibility for being prepared.

Take the opportunity to your children about what your family can do to stay safe by creating a home emergency plan and preparing a safety kit. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has a fantastic, family-friendly website (fema.gov/kids) to help parents and kids find ways to discuss natural disasters. Reassure your children that there are many people working to help others in need, and that your family can help too. Encourage them to put the habit of service into practice by brainstorming ways to help. Here's a few ways to get started: 

Penny Drives: Collecting pennies from neighborhoods, classrooms and churches is an easy way to earn funds to help others.
Adopt a Family: Fulfilling the needs of a family in need by providing clothes, toiletries, baby good and more is an activity all family member can do.
Fundraisers: Lemonade or cookie stands for younger children and bake sales, car/pet washers or garages sales for older kids are fantastic ways to earn money for charitable causes.
Community Outreach: Working with local agencies such as your school's Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO/PTA) or church is a wonderful way to reach out to glocal (local + global) families in need by organizing and participating in special events and activities. (Think talent shows, read-a-thons, or movie nights!)

Today's world is filled with unpredictable and unforeseen events that affect our sense of safety and well-being. Children may - and often do - find fear in catastrophic events. They also can find comfort and security in our response to it. With consistent love, compassion and communication, we can alleviate our children's fears and connect deeper with not only our family, but our community, nation and world as well.

Have any thoughts or ideas you'd like to share on this topic? Please post 'em in the comments. I'd love to read/share them.