Parenting tips for Trauma Prevention
- Play music in your child's bedroom to dampen house noises that may cause fear (i.e. heating pipes). Be sure to play compact discs or cassettes. The radio will have news coverage cycled throughout the night.
- If you have a dog, begin to have your pet sleep with the children during night time. Explain to your child how your pet will always protect him/her. Remind them that a bad man would never enter the house out of fear of being attacked by a dog.
- Remind your child that he/she is protected always by religious figures (i.e. angels and/or God). Read stories at bedtime how these figures have protected others in the past.
- Purchase posters or dolls of the child's favorite super heroes that can be displayed in their bedroom or carried about. Remind them often how their super heroes will always come to protect them.
- Frequently discuss with your children how strong and mighty our military is and that they will always protect them even if they're in different countries. Tell them that the United States has the strongest military in the world.
- Reduce the amount of television that your child watches or monitor their ability to surf the channels to reduce any coverage of violent events.
- Allow your children to ask as many questions as they'd like regarding terrorism, war, and violent events. Make sure that each conversation will end in a positive outcome with safety and security.
- On a weekly basis, be sure to ask your children how they feel about terrorism and ongoing violent events. Never assume that your child is naïve to world events even if they don't initiate conversation about them.
- Increase your frequency of affection and encouraging remarks. Giving your children more hugs, kisses, and love will increase their sense of security and safety. This method also applies to teenagers even if they act embarrassed.
- Watch for changes in sleeping patterns. All children have nightmares and fears of what goes bump in the night, but an increase in these events may suggest a trauma response to recent events.
- Take stock in your own response to recent terrorism and violent events. Assess whether your own fears and/or trauma response is not being witnessed by your children.
- Watch for an increase in mild medical complaints such as stomachaches or feeling sick. Anxiety and/or trauma response is often manifested in physiological problems.
- Increase your expressed affection with your spouse and/or adult family members. Children are fined tuned to their families expression of affection. 90% of all parenting is called "indirect parenting". Defined as what the children see on a daily basis while at home.
- If your child has a nightmare, spend 10-15 minutes with your child reassuring them that they're in a safe place. Have the child close his/her eyes and then walk them through a little guided imagery of their heroes and/or protectors.
- Engage your child in more creative art projects such as painting, drawing, and writing. Creative expression for children is not only therapeutic, but offers a parent insight into their child's fears.
- Watch for an increase in defiant behavior since 9-11. If your child has exhibited an increase in sibling rivalry, parental defiance, or behavioral problems in school, there is a chance that they may be exhibiting a trauma response.
- Contact your school's principal and find out if there has or will be any prevention education and/or academic forums to discuss recent violent events. You can also request that the PTA meets to discuss ways on how to prepare children for future terrorist attacks.
- If your child's grades have dropped over since 9-11, Set up a meeting with school officials to assess whether there has been a change in your child's behaviors concurrent with poor grades.
- Engage your child in new activities and/or hobbies to help them occupy their minds and time. Karate, art, sports, and school associations will offer them forums to feel confident.
- The most important of all is to be willing to bring your child to a pediatrician and/or child psychologist. Parents are often embarrassed to seek help for their child out of fear that something may be truly wrong with their child and/or they have failed as a parent.
