Dr. Cindy Nurik

helping chilren cope

Dear Parents:

I was on my book tour when tragedy struck in New York. I am stranded here in Chicago and I wanted to give some support to all of you. Dr. Cindy

The tragedy that unfolded in front of our eyes this week was horrific. There are no words to describe the way all of us are feeling. However, as adults, we can communicate our feelings in many ways. For children, it is much tougher. Many parents do not know how to handle a situation like this, since we have never experienced any catastrophy of this magnitude. I would like to offer some suggestions on what we can do to help our children through this terrible crisis.

1. Tell your child that they are safe. Explain that the President will protect us with the help of our armed forces.

2. Stay with the normal routine; children need structure to feel secure.

3. Do not let them watch the horrible images over and over again on TV. Put on their favorite show. I recommend that for adults as well.

4. Be honest. If they ask questions be truthful, but remember to tell them that we are being protected.

5. Empower them by giving them a project to do, such as making an American flag to put on the front door to show patriotism. Or collect money to sent to the rescue effort.

6. Have some special family time and talk about your feelings. Let your child cry if they need to. The same goes for you!

7. If you see your child playing with blocks and building tall buildings and then crashing them down, don't worry. That is appropriate play. They are expressing their feelings through play.

8. Let them draw pictures to express thier feelings and talk about it.

9. They might get stomach aches or headaches and even vomit. That is a normal reaction from this tragedy. Call a doctor if it doesn't improve in a couple of days!

10. Read to your child at night, this is very soothing for both of you! If you need help, please do not hesitate to call a counselor.

God bless us all! Dr. Cindy