Talking

to Children about Terrorism: By the Numbers Age appropriate responses for parents and others

By Judy Myers-Walls

Child Development Specialist

Purdue Extension

While

children may not be directly affected by the tragic events surrounding the

terrorist attack on America, they will have questions and concerns about what it

means for their world.

While

news reports were not intended to alarm children, it is impossible to protect or

shield children from knowledge of an event of this size. They have heard or seen

media reports and adults discussing the issue, and they can tell that the adults

around them are concerned and upset. School evacuations and lockdowns will add

to their level of concern and it is critical that the adults in their lives –

parents, teachers, and guardians -help children deal with and process this

event.

Young children. Preschool children will be very confused by

these events. Many young children do not know how to tell if something happened

to them or to other people. They will be very sensitive to what adults are

feeling. Young children can be an important asset to adults at this time, too,

however. Holding and hugging young children can be reassuring to both the adults

and the children.

Elementary school children. Some school-age children will want to know

explanations of the events and the

factors involved. It is important to assess each child’s level of understanding

to see if he or she is capable of

understanding the difference between the media reports and the entertainment

shows they’re used to watching. Help school-age children understand where the

attacks occurred and where those cities are in relation to your location. They

will benefit from expressing their ideas in various forms, such as art, letters,

and music and with puppets. They also would benefit from taking some kind of

action, such as writing letters, preparing a display for the community, or

collecting items to help survivors.

Adolescents. Adolescents will want more details and will have more skills

and coping strategies to deal with the event, but they still will not deal with

it the same way that adults do. Because adolescents tend to look at the world in

a black-and-white fashion, they may want to know who the bad guys are and who

the good guys are. It would be helpful to guide them toward separating the evil

of the event from the value of people. Adolescents could easily take the

emotions of the event as a call to paint entire groups as enemies or evil. They

may be able to understand that the concerns of groups may be legitimate, but

that using violence -whether it is a fist, a bomb, or an airplane – is never the

best way to deal with frustration or anger.

Young Adults. While people in this age group often feel

invulnerable, events this traumatic and close to home may shake their certainty.

Young adults will be more knowledgeable than children about the nature of the

attacks and the consequences, and their fears will be more realistic. Their

methods of coping with those fears may not be. Young adults tend to focus on the

cause and may want to take some kind of action, such as getting in a car and

driving to a demonstration. Older adults will need to help them keep this in

perspective and guide them to positive outlets such as giving blood, collecting

money for victims, or attending a vigil or memorial service. They may also want

to learn more about geopolitics and world history.

September 2001 from the Purdue Extension

website, reprinted with permission.

For more information go to http://www.ces.purdue.edu/terrorism/children/index.html

Send mail to [email protected] 

Last modified: December 13, 2001