Since the past few months, all that we hear from every communication media out there is about the new coronavirus. Kids are also aware of the situation and they could be sharing concerns amongst their friends. With new information uncovered every day, they might be feeling anxious or confused because they are finding it difficult to understand the whole situation completely. So parents need to ensure that their children are receiving reliable facts up-to-date. By talking to them you can reassure them of their worries. Below are some pointers you can use to reduce their fear.

Encourage Questions

With so much news up in the air, your children might have questions or concerns that they may not be asking. Their concerns could range from their grandfather’s health to when they can have burgers from McDonald’s. You can open up about this issue by inviting them to talk about it. Tell them that they can reach out to you with any kind of questions. Make sure you acknowledge their concerns with seriousness. Your objective is to ensure that your child hears factual information from you rather than from their friends. Also, remind them to maintain good personal hygiene like frequent sanitization. 

Practice Honestly

You might feel like avoiding some of their questions. Either because you don’t know the answer or because you don’t want to cause anxiety in them. Instead, be honest, tell them that they can find answers to some of their queries on websites like WHO and UNICEF. Explain that these are the most trusted sources for factual information. Explain that information posted online is not always accurate. By being honest about the whole situation you can assist them in enduring uncertainties and help them build resilience.

Information

Do not bombard them with too much information. Inform them of only what they ask, don’t volunteer to say too much. Clarify their questions honestly. Set an emotional tone and be calm while informing about these things. Watch out for their emotions and explain that people get cold and flu when affected by the virus.

Protect Oneself

One of the best things you can do to keep your children safe from coronavirus is to remind them of frequent handwashing and sanitization. To make it all seem less scary you can sing and dance along to tunes while performing these tasks to make it seem fun. Tell them to cover their mouth with elbows while sneezing and coughing. Explain the common coronavirus symptoms and tell them to stay away from people showing such signs. As them to inform you if they feel feverish and ill.

Provide Reassurance

With crisis going on around all of us and with these troubling images being shown on the news and everywhere else, children may tend to believe that they will face the same difficulties. In such cases, it is good to distract them from all the stress by spending quality time with them. You can play, relax, watch an animated movie together etc. follow regular schedules before their bedtime and create new ones in case of a new environment. Assure your children that their family members are taking precautions and making efforts in keeping everyone safe. Tell them that an outbreak in their area doesn’t necessarily mean that they will also catch it. Also, most people who have the virus don’t always get very sick. Remind your children that when they fall sick, they can keep their friends safe by following the rules and staying home.

Community Workers

Educate your children about public health and steps taken by our community to control it. Tell them about doctors, nurses, scientists and other public health workers working to keep the community safe. Tell them how these front line workers are risking their own lives and being away from their family members to help those in need. Help them make sense of their generosity and kindness.

Emotions 

Be cautious about how you perceive and react to new information and updates as stated by these media sources. Children can easily pick up on your emotions like anxiety, fear and stress. Keep yourself calm and reach out to friends and family whom you trust, whom you know will help you cope in such situations. This will help ease the situation a little and also provide clarity to oneself. 

Conversations

While having difficult conversations with your children ensure you end them without causing anxiety in them. Watch out for their reactions, breathing, and body language. Assure them that you are always there to talk and listen to their worries. 

It is such a difficult time where everyone is feeling helpless. As a part of this community, all of us need to play our part by following the rules, taking precautions and making it easy on everyone.