how to talk with your kids about current events

Watching the news, as it bombards us with fear and anxiety can be hard enough on us as adults. Then, as parents, we want to protect our children from feeling fear about what's going on in the world and the disturbing images they may see on television.   

However, as much as we would like to protect our children’s mental health, thoughts and feelings by shielding them from scary news or current events, they often become aware of them due to conversations with peers at school or through social media. 

“As a mom of three kids when devastating things happen in the news, these are the steps that I follow and would like to share with all of you,” shares children’s mental health expert Emily Weitz. “Having these steps in mind can help guide us when we are having difficult feelings.”  

1. Take care of yourself. Take a moment to identify and connect with how you’re feeling. While it’s okay to share your emotions, it’s important to make sure we’re in control of our emotions and avoid having reactions that may further frighten our kids. If you need to take a moment because your emotions are so big, its okay to take a second and spend some time in private.  

If you are worried that you already had a big reaction in front of your child, that’s okay too! Go back and talk with them about why you had the reaction and that it's okay to have these emotions.  

2. Start the conversation. What is the best thing we can do as parents and caregivers when shocking current events happen? We can start a conversation with our children so they’re getting correct information and have an opportunity to share how they are feeling. 

Lead with the facts about what you know, and if you don’t have the answers it’s okay to say that! If you have older kids, be mindful to monitor the content and information that they may be consuming. And find time for the entire family to take breaks from the news cycle periodically.  

3. Invite your kids to share. Ask them if they have questions or if they want to share what they are feeling. If they don’t immediately share, let them know that it’s okay to come back to you and share their feelings later.  

3 resources for supporting your child

1. Access the On Our Sleeves guide for talking to kids about current events.
2. To learn how to start and encourage conversations with children, click here. 
3. For more information on helping a child deal with grief and loss, click here. 

If you’re looking for more ways to support others and discuss mental health, join the movement of On Our Sleeves. We believe that no family should struggle alone in their journey with mental health. Check out more resources and guides, here.