In these challenging times of the global Covid-19 pandemic, children and students can get too little or too much exposure to news and anxiety. As parents and leaders, we need to figure out a balance between the two and avoid too little or too much.
Tim Elmore wrote an interesting post “How often should we talk about the pandemic with our kids?” where he draws from personal experience and also discusses an upcoming book “The Pandemic Population,” where he interviews Great Depression kids and shares their responses. Here’s a summary.
Guidelines when talking about crises with kids:
- Give them only as much as their minds can handle
- Start the conversation over a meal; wait for them to ask a question
- Let the news reports spark the conversation
- When an overload is observed or building, stop
- Move on to age-appropriate topics; let kids be kids
Great Depression kids’ responses:
- The majority of them were not aware they were living in the Great Depression
- Everyone felt they were all the same and we’re in this thing together
- People maintained simplicity, gratitude, and contentment
- Adults raised kids collectively and worked to build morals and work ethic
- Good attitudes and virtues seemed to be paramount
Read the full article here.
