Talking to Kids About the Fire

Hey Everyone:

First off, I have two young kids, and for parents we know how hard this is. Hang in there, be there for them and make sure you are taking care of yourself. I have a close friend who is a doctor and works with children who have experienced trauma, and he has had to explain a lot of really traumatic things to really little people (can you imagine that job?). I'm dropping in a link below that is a resource he shared that we can use, as well as some pointers he shared.

Trinka and Sam and the Big Fire: https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources//trinka_sam_the_big_fire.pdf

Quick Tips:

• Use age appropriate language. Don't be too graphic, especially with littles, i.e., don't say "our house burned to the ground," say "our house isn't safe because of the fire"
• Emphasize that they are safe.
• If you have a co-parent, talk with them before hand and prepare. Think about who is going to do the talking, what you will say, and what to do if one of you breaks.
• Try to think about what questions they might have. What questions do you expect? What questions do you least expect?

I hope this is helpful. If you have questions I can try to get answers.