How to talk to your kids when the world gets scary

Talking to your kids when the world gets scary. That was the name of the presentation put on Wednesday night by the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and Idaho Falls School District 91. Together, they hope to help parents figure out how to talk to kids about traumatic events such as a school shooting or a tragic loss.

“How you talk to your kids is going to differ based on their developmental age, their intellectual ability,” said Richard Palmer with the Behavioral Health Center at EIRMC. “But, I don’t think we should ever avoid talking to our kids about these topics.”

Palmer said after something tragic happens, it is important to acknowledge things won’t be the same and to create a new normal. One way teenagers do that is through activism. When talking to younger children about what happened, give them information on a level they can understand and remind them that they are safe. For older teens, adults may have to initiate the talk. Give them the most factual information and reduce exposure. As an adult, it is important to show a stable front.

“Our children take their cues off of the adults around them,” Palmer said. “So for us to make sure that we’ve wrapped our brain around how to respond to such events then we can start to help our kids deal with that as well.”

Overall, talking to your kids is the most important way to help them understand and heal.

“The more that parents and other caregivers, friends, are able to talk about issues that are going on with us personally, our kids and ourselves, the healthier we become, the stronger our community becomes,” Palmer said.

Palmer suggests the best time to start talking to kids is when they are at school age.