Talking to kids about the earthquake?

summerbrideDC

At what age do you think its appropriate for them to hear about this stuff or be exposed to the news reports about it?  We've talked about earthquakes and emergency preparedness b/c of where we live & we've taken books out of the library that deal w/ the science behind earthquakes.  But I'm not sure, at almost 5, he's old enough to really "get" it, nor do I know if I want him to.  

Just curious as to what age you personally feel its appropriate for kids to be exposed to natural disasters and/or other catastrophes/tragedies, and to what extent (like you sitting down and talking about it w/ them versus letting them actually see the news coverage/images of it)

I'm just thinking out loud; I don't really think there's a "right" answer.  

DandelionMom

I still don't encourage my girls to watch the news coverage.  But I do talk about things like this with all of my girls.  I keep it really simple with the 4 y/o and 7 y/o (the 7 y/o is especially sensitive so even though she's probably old enough for more info I don't think she's ready to handle it).  My 10 y/o hears about this stuff at school so I try to prepare her before she hears jumbled versions from other people. 

Halo79RN

we listen to NPR on the radio in the car in the mornings... I didn't think much about it until dd asked (later in the day) about someone getting killed.  I just answer things as they come , short, blunt, answers and I'm more mindful of switching the station if their talking about something inappropriate.  she hasn't asked about the earthquake, but I"m sure nat geo or scholastic has some age appropriate books on earthquakes and hurricanes and such.  we just ordered a "storms" one at dd's request. 

REOM

I was teaching first grade on 9/11, and it was a little different because it did directly affect those kids. They were 5 and 6, and we just kept it simple. Yes, sometimes bad things happen. We need to have a plan in case something does happen, but there are adults around to protect you.

There is a great book, something like, "Sept 12, everything was OK" and the premise was that yes, bad things happen in life. Everyone was sad and it was a terrible day. But the next day, the sun came out, and life went on. The world didn't end. It's a very simple message that although bad things are part of life, life still goes on.

As for news coverage, I don't think I'm old enough to watch it, honestly.  Def not for children.

soontobemomma

I did have the Today show on this AM and DD saw the water and asked about it.  I left off about the dying, but explained about the earthquake and tsunami.  Very simple, people need help there because some of their things were messed up and homes are messed up.  Used it to explain about sometimes we need to help others that need help.  We talked very generally about donating to charity to help those who need it.  

Ciarrai

I haven't been able to watch the news when the kids are awake since DD#1 was about 18 months.  She was obsessed with the movie cars and happened to see a school bus roll over on the news.  She totally freaked out (even though she didn't realize there were kids inside) and was upset for days talking about it.  My girls are very timid and very sensitive - especially DD#1.  I haven't decided what to tell her about or how to tell her about it, but she will definitely not be watch the news coverage or anything.  It will be years (maybe 8+) before she watches the news or anything else like that.  She just can't handle it.  DD#2 is less sensitive and doesn't internalize it as much - not thinking about what if it happened to her/her family/her parents/whatever.  She could handle more info earlier but still not at 3, obviously.  I guess I think it depends on the kids, but this age is way too young to watch it.  I'm not sure about talking about it, but I might eventually.

femmegem

Ditto many others. I don't let DS watch the news, but I do talk to him about things in a very factual, simple way.

Andrewsgal

DD does watch the today show with me daily. She asks questions about what she sees and i answer them in a direct way. I try to skip over the death and dying but if she asks then I am honest with her. She asked me about Japan "Did anyone get hurt" "Yes" "Did people die?" "Yes a lot of them""that is sad""yes it is" I also think it depends on the kid. DD is a lot more verbal and seems to understand a lot more than other kids her age. I don't believe DS will be ready for this type of information when he is her age.

zigby

He's watched all of it...he's asked questions, we've answered them honestly...he was, unfortunately, exposed to death at an early age and I think since we talked about it and talked about it and never lied or really sugar coated it, he accepted it and wasn't scarred from it...

My niece's school shrink said when we were dealing with the sickness and death, to be honest, give it a name, and answer everything honestly, and we've stuck to that for everything else and I have never once thought that he has suffered from it or anything else he has seen (in real life or on the news, tv...) He has (from his questions and comments) seemed to grasp it all for what it is and he's not quite five yet.  We don't feel the need to shelter him from the devastations of the world (natural and man-made), though we don't go out of our way to make him watch the news but we certainly don't turn it off for him either.  DH and DS also watch a lot of history, discovery channel and national geographic shows together so he's seen all sorts of stuff...and he's a super happy, pretty well-adjusted little guy...I think our reactions have helped him also.

JOEBunny

I don't watch the news with DD, but we do talk about things.  She had a friend in Egypt, so that was obviously a topic.  I don't get too detailed, but I explain what happened.  I don't want her to live in fear or worry, so I try to present new topics in a way that is more "this is how this happens (earth plates shift, big wave) and we feel bad for people and try to help them" rather than "Lots of people died because of some random event". 

Hooray2005

-auntie-:

Sharing news is one approach, but I'm all for protecting them from visuals. Kids have so much more bandwidth around processing visual input so I'm protective of what they see.

I honestly didn't read the other responses, but I agree with auntie's approach.

As for talking about natural disasters, etc. Annette LaGreca at the Univ. of Miami has done a lot of work around talking with children post-disasters (hurricanes, 9/11, etc.)  - I haven't looked through her stuff in awhile, but here's a link to her work (including downloadable materials)

https://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/alagreca

While not exact, they may give you some ideas about what/how to talk about this stuff (note to self:  need to look at it, too - lol).