Help Children Cope With Aftermath Of Kentucky's Storms And Floods
Release Date: July 24, 2003
Release Number: 1475-10
» More Information on Kentucky Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes
Frankfort, KY -- The immediate danger from the severe May and June storms is in the past, but children may still be showing signs of shock and trauma. It is important for parents and other caregivers to be aware of what these signs are and to know what to do -- and what not to do -- about them.
Signs that children are troubled include: fear of being left alone, wanting to sleep in parents' room or bed, wanting to keep a light on all night, bed wetting, thumb-sucking, nightmares, fear of the dark, not wanting to go to school or making trouble in class.
Following are some tips about how to handle childrens' fears:
- Encourage your children to talk about what's troubling them, and take their concerns seriously. If they can't talk about their feelings, encourage them to draw pictures or make up stories or poems to express how they are feeling.
- Let them know you want to help. Be a patient listener --no matter how tough it may be.
- Reassure your children; never ridicule their fears.
- Make children feel they are a part of the effort to return things to normal. Include them in conversations about what needs to be done. Enlist their help in tasks that are do-able for them. Don't ask them to take on more than they are able to accomplish successfully.
- If a child continues to resist sleeping alone or going to school weeks after the storm is over, be loving, but firm. Negotiate an agreement with them, such as saying, "Go back to sleeping in your own room beginning tomorrow, and we'll get pizza this weekend." Hold the child to the agreement.
- Communication, reassurance and patience are much more likely to work than punishment and anger.
- Most important of all, take --make! - time to give each child your undivided attention, if only for five or ten minutes each day. Take a walk together or just sit and talk.
If all the support you can muster does not seem to help, you may need the assistance of a professional counselor. Mental health experts are available to provide such help -- a normal part of disaster recovery. For information, contact the Kentucky Community Crisis Response Board at 1-888-522-7228.
Last Modified: Thursday, 24-Jul-2003 10:40:18