Coronavirus: How to Talk to Your Kid
- Ginny Kappel
- Mar 14, 2020
- 2 min read
Are you seeing grown ups that are panicked right now? Are you one of them? Hey, no judgment here. This is a very peculiar time in history. Other than feeling scared about the virus itself, there are other hardships in the way of businesses, finances, lifestyle changes, etc. All of this creates stress. If we, as grown ups are feeling the stress, we better believe our kids are feeling it too. So how do we address this topic with them?
1. Ask them questions. “Have you heard of the Coronavirus? What do you know about it?” Let them teach you what they know.
2. Respond to their answer. Debunk any myths or rumors they may have heard. Respond to their developmental level (don’t overshare). Normalize things for them. Maybe compare it to flu or cold season.
3. Prepare them for what’s to come. Kids may be out of school for the next few weeks. Parents may be out of work, or need to work from home, discuss this with them. They might see people wearing masks or hear about the shortage of home supplies. It’s always better to proactively inform your child when possible. They can they say, “oh this is what mom said might happen.”
4. Streamline where the information is coming from. Please, please, do not have the news on in the background. Kids are so receptive; you never know what they’re picking up on. Get your info from the source itself, the CDC. YOU be the one informing your child, not politically biased media channels.
This is important stuff. On the surface we are talking about the virus, but addressing topics like this with your child establishes trust. Having proactive, honest, hard conversations keeps the door open for your child. It sends a message that parents and children talk about hard things, and mom & dad are the go-to people when I am going through something hard.
I found this great YouTube video where Child Therapist, Natasha Daniels talks to kids about what’s going on. You can show this directly to your kids or watch her style to model your own conversation with your child (recommended).
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