 | | | | | |
|
| Family & Issues | Times of Crisis |
|
BACK TO: Times of Crisis | 
|
 PREVIOUS MESSAGE | NEXT MESSAGE  |
|
|
|
| AUTHOR: | Aimee Y | DATE: 09/13/01 8:21am |
| SUBJECT: |  Very young children and giving them a way to help |
|
IN REPLY TO: Talking to Young Children About a Violent World
AUTHOR: drspShay |
|
| I'm a teacher and a parent, and I've got to urge people to not assume that their toddlers and preschoolers don't understand what's going on. We haven't been inundating our 19-month-old with news coverage, but in those first few awful hours, we couldn't turn the radio/TV off. Kids pick up on your moods and on everything around them. She clearly understood more than we hoped she would, and I don't believe in lying to kids... She said "plane boom" and "mom-mom home" and asked to call her grandmother on the phone (because she associates her grandmother with the planes she flies on to visit us). We called all of our relatives (none of whom were actually near the crash sites, thank God). She asked us to fix the boo-boos, and we said that we were very sad because we couldn't. Every once in a while, she'll say something else indicating that she's worried. We keep reassuring her that we're okay, that the mean people aren't near us, that Mommy and Daddy will do our best to protect her. She has a hard time articulating what she's feeling, obviously, but she clearly understands some of it. Last night she needed to sleep with us and with a small light on (more than a night-light) for the first time in months.
This is a kid who enthusiastically collects coins to donate to "duck boo-boo" and "sea lion boo-boo," both *her* ideas -- we took her and her rolled coins to local wildlife rescue hospitals, and she plays doctor with her animals and with us, acting out the kindness she saw in the hospitals.
I'm trying to think of something real, concrete, and age-appropriate she and I can do together. Both her daddy and I have colds, so we can't donate blood, although we will once we get better. Does anyone know of an organization which would send a care package to the volunteers doing clean-up or the families who have lost loved ones? Can anyone suggest good ideas for stuff to include that would be helpful for the recipient and would also make sense to a young kid? (My best ideas so far are dolls for families and cookies for volunteers, but I'm sure other people will have better ideas) I'd like to do something more concrete than money.
Any ideas? Any organized groups doing things of this nature?
--Aimee
|
|
 |
|
| | | | |
| MESSAGES |
|
|
| | drspShay | | 09/11/01 07:10am |
|
| | nurse2001 | | 09/11/01 07:37pm |
|
| | jrich | | 09/12/01 07:59pm |
|
| | leeleemom | | 09/12/01 10:25pm |
|
| | leeleemom | | 09/12/01 10:25pm |
|
| | CaseyJr | | 09/11/01 09:29pm |
|
| | SuzieQ | | 09/11/01 12:54pm |
|
| | Mom in Ohio | | 09/12/01 11:25am |
|
| | DrJana | | 09/11/01 01:18pm |
|
| | amruff | | 09/13/01 10:43am |
|
| | Nanaw | | 09/11/01 11:00pm |
|
| | ValerieU | | 09/12/01 05:12am |
|
| | shaylaswt | | 09/12/01 07:59am |
|
| | kakins1214 | | 09/11/01 11:02pm |
|
| | SuzieQ | | 09/12/01 04:15am |
|
| | ksmith | | 09/13/01 11:07am |
|
| | awmom | | 09/12/01 05:31am |
|
| | bluesky | | 09/12/01 11:39pm |
|
| | tyjusco | | 09/11/01 01:30pm |
|
| | MisterSoftee | | 09/15/01 07:24pm |
|
| | kakins1214 | | 09/11/01 10:55pm |
|
| | tyjusco | | 09/11/01 01:25pm |
|
| | thisismee | | 09/12/01 05:22am |
|
| | thisismee | | 09/12/01 05:29am |
|
| | mombogo | | 09/11/01 01:30pm |
|
| | mnormafay | | 09/11/01 09:18pm |
|
| | SuzieQ | | 09/11/01 01:51pm |
|
| | free40 | | 09/11/01 02:36pm |
|
| | tkdtami | | 09/11/01 10:02pm |
|
| | Momforever | | 09/12/01 06:36am |
|
| | minimejenni | | 09/11/01 04:45pm |
|
| | ventura | | 09/11/01 05:03pm |
|
| | RNCLorbach | | 09/12/01 01:12pm |
|
| | BethandMike | | 09/11/01 03:30pm |
|
| | my3babies | | 09/11/01 10:48pm |
|
| | SuzieQ | | 09/12/01 04:30am |
|
| | kakins1214 | | 09/11/01 11:08pm |
|
| | battesgrl | | 09/11/01 03:47pm |
|
| | gestault | | 09/11/01 05:39pm |
|
| | battesgrl | | 09/11/01 03:40pm |
|
| | SuzieQ | | 09/12/01 04:39am |
|
| | mommeeeee | | 09/12/01 07:16am |
|
| | teach | | 09/11/01 04:22pm |
|
| | my3babies | | 09/11/01 10:42pm |
|
| | rivers | | 09/12/01 01:01am |
|
| | jes4kids | | 09/13/01 12:29am |
|
| | PManze | | 09/12/01 12:11am |
|
| | momof3girls | | 09/11/01 04:37pm |
|
| | shaylaswt | | 09/12/01 07:51am |
|
| | mdlaug12 | | 09/12/01 01:49pm |
|
| | texasmommy | | 09/15/01 08:58pm |
|
| | 6monkeys | | 09/12/01 10:48am |
|
| | onlychild | | 09/11/01 08:42pm |
|
| | Nanaw | | 09/11/01 10:51pm |
|
| | norman | | 09/19/01 05:22am |
|
| | jewel3194 | | 09/15/01 01:19am |
|
| | Aimee Y | | 09/13/01 08:21am |
|
| | tkdtami | | 09/14/01 08:48am |
|
| | kunrock | | 09/14/01 09:34am |
|
| | sister ash | | 09/13/01 01:55pm |
|
| | jewel3194 | | 09/15/01 01:02am |
|
 PREVIOUS DISCUSSION | NEXT DISCUSSION  |
