In my non-knitting life, part of my job involves writing a weekly newspaper mini-column for parents and kids. After 400 of these it can be difficult to come up with a new topic so sometimes I go to the news for ideas. This weeks tragedy in Virginia gave me plenty to work with:
Kids and Crisis
Natural disasters, war, and school shootings are in the news every day. Even those not directly involved can be affected.
- Be prepared for disaster and how your child might react.
- Children want to know they are safe. Reassure them that the adults around them are doing their best to keep them secure.
- Do not lie; provide simple facts to young children, more details to older ones.
- Avoid overexposure to repetitive media coverage and disturbing images on TV, radio, newspaper or the internet.
- Look for physical symptoms of stress: nightmares, head and tummy aches, irritability, sleeplessness, changes in behaviour, refusing to go to school.
- Respect their fears; giving them ways to express their anxiety through talking, creative or physical activities. Before they can feel good, the bad feelings need to come out.
- The Chinese word for crisis means “dangerous” and “opportunity.” Use a crisis as an opportunity for preparation for the future.
Same goes for grown ups. Tragedies of this proportion can rock the foundations of your faith. We were talking at work about the existence of God. A book for troubled times, When Bad things Happen to Good People, is as relevant now as when it was published by Rabbi Harold Kushner in the 80’s. It has seen many people through very rough times.
I remember this interview with him on CBC, a couple of years back, when his book on coping with life’s disappointments was released. This is a gentle, intelligent man, who has experienced tough personal loss. He’s written over ten books with interesting conclusions: Even God cannot solve all of the world’s dilemmas. Sometimes decisions made at the time of crisis aren’t the best ones. Wait for things to even out before giving up something as important as your faith.
It’s not knitting but it was comforting for me and I thought I’d share it.
Life's a Stitch 
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