Posts Tagged Sesame Street
Parents Should Stress Safety, Preparedness at 9/11 Anniversary
Posted by ldaniel in Family Matters on September 8, 2012
By Lisa Daniel
Sept. 8, 2012
With the anniversary of 9/11 upon us, families may be considering how best to commemorate the terrorist attacks of 11 years ago.
Many installations will have remembrance ceremonies, although they likely will be on a smaller scale than for the 10-year anniversary. Regardless of whether you attend such events, how you talk to children about 9/11 is important and especially for military families, according to Dr. Stephen Cozza, associate director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
“With military families, 9/11 is an opportunity to remind children about the meaning of deployments,” Cozza said. “I think we can get a little disconnected from the mission, and having your parent away is hard. Remembering 9/11 draws us back to understanding what we’re doing [in Afghanistan]. It’s helpful and can lend certain meaning to know the military is still involved.”
And, he added, “There is certainly pride in knowing that your parent is working to prevent this from happening again.”
Discussions with children about 9/11 should be age-appropriate and based on information the child needs and is ready for, as well as the family’s personal connection to the tragedy, Cozza said. For those closely impacted by 9/11, children can benefit by memorializing the day with drawings, crafts, or poetry, or by putting up flags or visiting grave sites, he said.
Cozza suggests limiting children’s viewing of graphic 9/11 images on television and the Internet. Replays of the event can be both confusing and distressing, he said.
But as the topic comes up, it is a good chance for parents to reframe some of what children may have heard about the terrorist attacks, and “it’s a good way for them to know they can talk with their parents about tough issues,” Cozza said.
Children can become anxious from warnings about ongoing terrorist threats, so conversations should focus on safety and preparedness, Cozza said. The anniversary is a good time to explain the increased security at military bases, airports and government buildings, along with the message that such measures keep us safe.
“We don’t want to inundate kids with information that might be frightening for them,” he said. “Our job is to listen and be understanding.”
Cozza, an advisor to Sesame Street’s Let’s Get Ready program for disaster preparedness, framed a discussion with young children this way: “There was terrorist event and that is when people do bad things to hurt people without any reason. This is the time for us to remember the people who died.”
“We never want to promise kids that bad things aren’t going to happen,” but they should know that such events are rare, Cozza said.
Children can feel empowered by being prepared, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a website especially for kids to help them prepare for all types of emergencies at www.fema.gov/kids.
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“That sense of mastery is really important to kids’ sense of emotional competence,” he said.
The website for the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress includes pages for helping children through traumatic events, as does that of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which includes talking to children about mass shootings.
Cozza said parents should resist inclinations to avoid talking about tough topics. “It’s not that we can’t talk to children about these things, it’s finding the right ways to talk to them. In post-disaster situations, we always want to balance our understanding of risk and resilience and strength.”
Sesame Street, USO Launch Tour for Military Families
Posted by in Family Matters on March 15, 2012
By Elaine Sanchez
March 14, 2012
Several years ago, I was invited to New York to preview some Sesame Street products for military families. Although busy, I couldn’t resist sneaking away for a quick stroll down the Sesame Street set.
As I walked past Mr. Hooper’s store and peered into Oscar the Grouch’s trash-can home, the years drifted away until I once again was a child glued to my family’s antenna-laden 1970s TV set.
In a few weeks, military families around the nation will have a chance to take their own walk down memory lane — and create some new memories for their children — when Sesame Street comes to town.
The Sesame Street and USO Experience for Military Families, a free traveling show, is about to embark on its 2012 tour. The show, exclusively for military families, premieres April 7 at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Families at more than 70 military installations across the nation will have the chance to see the show over the next eight months.
The 30-minute musical show features Sesame Street favorites Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster and Rosita, as well as a new addition, Elmo’s friend, Katie. Katie is a character from a military family dealing with a military move.
During the show, Katie opens up to her Muppet friends about her fears and excitement about the move. With the help of a few songs, Elmo and other pals reassure her that she’ll make new friends while still remaining close with old ones.
Elmo Talks About Grief to Help Children Cope
Posted by in Family Matters on April 16, 2010
April 16, 2010
All of us probably remember the first person we were close who died. It is difficult to accept the death of a loved one as an adult, but it is especially hard for a child. Children often don’t understand or know how to cope with death – especially if it involves a parent. It becomes even more difficult when adults are dealing with their own grief and don’t know how to reach out to a child.
Earlier this week, I wrote about attending a screening of a Sesame Workshop program, “Talk, Listen, Connect: When Families Grieve.”(Sesame Unveils New Resource for Families) While the Sesame Workshop initiative is aimed at helping children cope, the messages shared by the Muppets on how to handle the death of a loved one are universal. The lessons are also helpful if you are trying to help someone who is grieving.
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Sesame Unveils New Resource for Families
Posted by in Family Matters on April 14, 2010
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
April 14, 2010
elaine.wilson@dma.mil
I attended a touching preview of Sesame Workshop’s newest outreach initiative, “When Families Grieve,” yesterday at the Pentagon.
Military leaders, including Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were joined by Sesame stars Elmo, Rosita and Elmo’s cousin Jesse to unveil the initiative, which provides free resources in support of families with young children coping with the death of a parent.
“Elmo, Rosita and Jesse help us reach children in ways that they can understand,” Lynn said. “They also show adults how to reassure their children that they are safe and loved.”
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Kids Need Help to Cope With Loss
Posted by in Family Matters on October 19, 2009
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Elaine.wilson@dma.mil
Oct. 19, 2009
Last week I wrote about my trip to New York, where Sesame Workshop was taping a new video aimed at helping children deal with the loss of a loved one.
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The script, developed with help from Defense Department experts, was designed to help children understand and cope with death. Just watching the actors bring the story to life brought tears to my eyes, particularly as a parent of young children.
In the story, Elmo is missing his Uncle Jack, who had recently died. It’s hard for the preschooler to grasp the permanence of death. His dad, Louie, tries to explain it to him in the simplest of terms: “You see, when someone dies, it means they’re not alive anymore. Their body has stopped working. They don’t eat or breathe or talk on the phone.”
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Top Military Wife Visits Sesame Street
Posted by in Family Matters on October 16, 2009
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Elaine.wilson@dma.mil
Oct. 16, 2009
Yesterday, I wrote about my experiences on Sesame Street, where I attended the filming of a video aimed at helping military children deal with the loss of a loved one.
Along with meeting long-time Sesame Street favorites Elmo and Rosita, one of the highlights of my trip was the opportunity to discuss the production with Deborah Mullen, wife of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen.
Seeking a quiet place to chat, Mrs. Mullen , my co-worker and I ended up in Mr. Hooper’s store, that iconic set that serves as the backdrop to so many “Sesame Street” scenes. Perched on a lunch counter stool, Mrs. Mullen addressed everything from military family resiliency to coping with the loss of a loved one.
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Sesame Workshop Teaches Kids About Loss
Posted by in Family Matters on October 15, 2009
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Elaine.wilson@dma.mil
Oct. 15, 2009
To the envy of all the neighborhood kids, I was invited to New York yesterday to attend the taping of a special Sesame Workshop production aimed at helping military children.
I was in awe when I walked down the real-world Sesame Street. As I passed the laundromat and Mr. Hooper’s famous storefront, the years slid away with each step until once again I was a 5-year-old glued to an episode of “Sesame Street” on my early 1970s TV set.
I was transported back to the present when down the hall I heard the familiar, high-pitched tones of that furry red Muppet that has gained superstar-like status in recent years. Elmo and his good friend, Rosita, were rehearsing a scene on a brightly lit park set.
Used to more lighthearted shows punctuated with lessons of letters and numbers, it took me a while to adjust to the serious topic Sesame now was tackling: coping with the loss of a loved one.
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Sesame Street Keeps Families in Touch
Posted by in Family Matters on September 21, 2009
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Sept. 21, 2009
I’ve covered many deployment ceremonies in my years as a military reporter, but one ceremony touched me deeply.
A unit was preparing to deploy for a year to Iraq a few years ago and I attended to take photos of family and friends bidding the soldiers farewell.
I zoomed in on one specific mother. She was crouched on the floor clinging to her two young children, both looked under the age of 5. She was attempting to put on a brave front, but as she held them, tears streamed down her face.
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