These past few days have been very emotional due to the flooding in southern Alberta. I was born and raised here in Calgary and I have never experienced anything like this. I am very grateful that my family is safe and that our home was not affected by the flooding. For all the people who have been affected, my heart aches.
My heart also goes out to all the children. My young clients have been affected. I feel the heaviness in their hearts. One young girl told me that her mom was “very worried” and a young boy was almost in tears when he came to see me. The flood has created fear and sadness for kids.
My daughter is highly sensitive. Over the weekend, I had the TV on the news channel for a short time when she asked me to turn it off. She found the deluge of information upsetting.
How are you children doing with this? Are they feeling frightened or anxious? Do they hear you talking about the flood? Have you been affected by the flooding? Is the TV on the news channel for long periods? How are you feeling? How is this affecting your children?
If you are concerned about how your child is dealing with this stressful time, here is a list of 6 simple ways to help your children during this difficult time:
** Turn off the news when your child is in the room. Pay attention to what you are talking about. You may not think your child is listening while you are talking on the phone about the flooding, but very often they do hear your conversations. Of course, you need to be able to discuss it with other adults, just make sure that those “little ears” are not within earshot.
** Spend time with your child. If you are busy, distracted and worried yourself, it creates anxiety in your child. Even a short amount of time, being completely present for your child, will make a big difference.
** Talk to your child in an age appropriate way. If you are worried or concerned about something, it is okay to let your child know. They will sense your fear. As much as you think you are hiding it from them, they pick up on your emotions. Children are generally very intuitive. Let them know you are concerned and that things will be okay. Reassure them that you have things under control and that they don’t need to worry.
** Make a plan together to help in some way. Maybe you could make muffins together and drop them off at the firehall for the men and women who have been working so hard. This lets your child know that even though bad things happen, something can be done to make it better. Also, doing something for someone else fills your child with love instead of fear.
“There can be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm.” – J.H Vincent
*Make sure you are looking for the rainbow!