Dear Parent,
I am imagining that I am not the only parent of traumatized children to feel a shudder in the bone from the news today, last week, last month, and the months before. I am the last person to advocate sticking your head in the sand; however, I am going to advocate for turning off the news. 24/7 terror news is frightening for adults and especially terrifying for young children who cannot understand the circumstances and who imagine all things to be located right in their backyard.
Very young children can be spared from knowing all that is going on in the world at large. It is all too much, too big, too frightening for children to be exposed to the graphics of tv, so turn yours off for awhile. Get your news after bedtime or away from home.
For elementary school-aged children, let the summer remain peaceful and fun if you are one of the lucky ones who have not been touched by terrorism. For older children, beware: their curiosity is bigger than their emotional capacity. Some facts are important, but lengthy diatribes, breaking news bulletins, and tense religious and race debates can last a lifetime in the minds of your children. What you say; what they hear; what they imagine will shape their beliefs about entire groups of people, and about the world altogether.
Traumatized children of any age experience imprints of living in a dangerous and
The Attach Place
Center for Strengthening Relationships
scary world. Fear and anxiety, then, become rational, while safety and security become only distant, unconscious longings. Let them feel safe throughout this nightmare we are being presented with every day.
Love matters,
Ce
P.S. I have been listening to these two music videos all day. They soothe me. Thought I would pass them on.
You can find Ce’s book on Amazon.com or in The Attach Place Shop. Don’t forget to leave a review.
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The next 8-hr. Attachment- and Trauma-informed Therapeutic Parenting Workshop is specially scheduled for one day–July 23rd–from 9am to 5pm. We usually hold the training on two days, but this is an exception for those who cannot find time on two consecutive Saturdays to attend a training. To register, go to attachplace.com/shop. Childcare provided for an additional fee.
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