Terrorism, as children can explain?

Expert advice to manage a situation or atmosphere of "terror" that little ones can create a lot of anxiety because children understand more than you imagine

"Do not ever think that if you pretend as if nothing happened is better. Could that children do not understand what they are talking parents or what they see on TV. " Better to speak, moreover, "as soon as you can, listen to the children." Explaining how to cope with children chat on attacks occurred in several countries and how they appear dramatically different media, is Antonella Costantino, President of the Society of Neuropsychiatry of childhood and adolescence.

She leads some mothers and fathers advice to avoid exposing their children to the constant messages of anxiety. First, she explained to ANSA-n, "it is not good to pretend anything. Children understand more than you might think, they feel the emotions and fears in the air. So, in this way, they must be accompanied in this understanding. Only speech is important to reduce feelings of anxiety ".

But first, before we speak, it's better than listen. More than immediately give an explanation, "find a way to start it: listen to what imagine what children perceive about recent situations that have affected the entire world opinion." To do this, "generally sufficient for a comment, a general thing, for example," what bad thing! ' ".

It's a way to make understandable that we can talk further. Children can feel immediately 'authorized' to speak. In contrast, if children understand that adults do not want to talk, they shut itself ". Undoubtedly each have depth explanation on the basis of age, but in general, it is important "to reassure, without pretending that everything goes well."

The message that helps children, the expert adds, is the phrase: "All that is happening is not untrue, but everything is under control", and not to explain that everything is being done to reduce the risk. It's good to learn "that is a part of life that we do not control that, although we can react to reduce risk."

To talk about the tragedy or the risk of possible attacks does not mean that we should overload kids with images and news. "It is impossible to change a channel between reporting because it would have the opposite effect, but rather to avoid their exposure bloody images and not speak throughout the day for these events."

In their imagination "FIKER can take uncontrolled proportions, being transformed into obsessive thoughts and nightmares. In this case, if you see major problems in your children, then turn to a specialist. "

In the end - though this is a message that most need to hear adults - "Do not fall into the trap that are all the pros on one side and the bad in another way," and, above all, "be careful to generalizations that are always wrong. "

Danger, Antonella Costantino concludes, "it is to arrive at a message that the foreigner or Changing may be wrong. If you do so, you will create your child phobia against people that surround them. "