CSpenceFLY 1 #1 December 15, 2012 I'm having a hard time understanding people who feel they need to sit their small children down and explain to them the events that unfolded yesterday. I can see answering questions if they arise, or telling them that a sick person did a very bad thing. Past that I don't understand the point. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 370 #2 December 15, 2012 So you think allowing kids to conjure up their own version of the horror and carry that around in their minds is better than an adult calmly explaining the insanity of the incident while reassuring the child that it is statistically a very rare occurrence? Ok.Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #3 December 15, 2012 Yeah, that's exactly what I meant. No, I meant that I don't think a lot of kids will give it another thought past yesterday when their parents picked them up from school and acted like retards. I'm speaking of kids that were not involved in the event. Kids that live hundreds or thousands of miles away. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IanHarrop 37 #4 December 15, 2012 From my point of view the biggest issue is explaining "why" because I don't know that we'll ever really understand why, and some children are going to ask. So in this situation I suggest don't try to explain the unexplainable, but rather point out that there are more good people than bad. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred Rogers http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/198594-when-i-was-a-boy-and-i-would-see-scary"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,166 #5 December 15, 2012 If they don't ask, then maybe they don't need a lot of explanation. But sometimes children ask, sometimes they dwell on it and worry about it endlessly. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #6 December 15, 2012 there was a time. 40 . 50 years ago. when kids were told Nothing....about "Grown Up issues".... that might have been a good approach... WHO says that children Under 10,NEED to "understand" and be weighed down with the heaviness of these certain things???? too many parents today take a misguided approach that their Kids are like "little adults", and so expect certain behaviors from them, and feel an idiotic compulsion to "keep them informed" about every last little issue...... Sometimes when Adults have problems with one another... the Kids find out. sometimes where there are Money Issues... the kids find out..Sometimes when there is adult wrong doing... FROM anyone in their circle of friends and family....The Kids Find Out!!!!and Yes... when tragedy strikes... even if it's half a world away, Some adults feel like it's their Duty... to "tell the kids" sheesh.... can't we insulate our kids from certain BAD things... can't we ALLow them to BE kids?? can't we SPARE them???? It seems like in this day and age of Instant EVERYthing...we cop out and take the stance.... " well they're gonna find out about it ANYway..."... Bullshit...Under the age of Ten...a child should be sheltered from certain issues.. Especially the ones that even "so-called" knowledgeable ADULTS struggle to understand... Should they ASK... then a limited and re-usable response might be... " all things in this world are Not good, and sometimes what IS good gets pushed aside by bad.." "BUT You need not worry about that, If you follow our directions, and if you Accept that we,Your parents , will ALWAYS Love you and Always care for you...... Yes yes. a bit simplistic and optimistic...BUt from a childs point of view.. That COULD be all they NEED to hear... May we collectively find our way... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #7 December 15, 2012 There was a time, before the last hundred years or so, where most of them would not have survived to adulthood, much less to the point where they'd die of old age. The world is a cold, uncaring place and arbitrarily cruel events happen in it. I grew up on an airbase, and the constant state of being prepared for all out nuclear war pretty much opened my eyes to this fact pretty early on. Before that point I was afraid of many things -- I often say "I used to be afraid of the dark, until I realized I was the most frightening thing in it." Or monsters, except the wrong kind of monsters. Someone who's monstrous on the outside, if they're mean they're easy to steer clear of. Grendel? No problem, I'll just hang out in one of the non-Grendel areas. The people who are monsters on the inside, they're much harder to recognize outside the lair of their windowless van. There's no sense being afraid of things you can't do anything about though, which rules out monsters, nuclear war, death, premature senility, natural disasters, asteroids, losing your job and super AIDs, among others. If you were afraid of all the things you couldn't do anything about, you'd spend your life in a constant state of terror. Of course, if you're the kind of person who lives their life in a constant state of terror over what could be, you're not likely to be reading a skydiving forum, either.I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
