{"id":221,"date":"2011-08-24T01:17:51","date_gmt":"2011-08-24T05:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.positivelyparenting.com\/?p=221"},"modified":"2015-12-04T12:47:18","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T17:47:18","slug":"when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/","title":{"rendered":"When kids are anxious (about let\u2019s say…EARTHQUAKES):"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
GET THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER AND:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t lie to them.\u00a0 Don\u2019t promise them it will never happen again<\/em>.\u00a0 Because it might.\u00a0 And then they are re-traumatized and<\/em> you are a liar.\u00a0 SO, use language like \u201csometimes when this happens (mimic the earth\u2019s plates bumping), they keep bumping a little, and so we may feel something else\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which leads to a plan.\u00a0 Kids LOVE to latch on to a plan, especially a SAFETY PLAN.<\/p>\n

Create a picture or list of what you will do if the bumping happens again.\u00a0 What are the steps?\u00a0 Where will everyone go?\u00a0 Who are the neighbors you need to know?\u00a0 Special numbers on the phone?<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then PRACTICE!\u00a0 This can be fun (don\u2019t shake the bed or anything dramatic), so practice when everyone is relaxed and ready to try the plan.\u00a0 This also shows where your plan needs tweaking.\u00a0 Make sure everyone (mostly) signs off on the plan.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Information is your friend.\u00a0 Go ahead, find the child-friendly sites that show what an earthquake does (NO HAITI PICS, OR ANY OTHER PHOTOS THAT SHOW DISTRUCTION.\u00a0 KIDS WILL THINK THAT IS THEM ANY MINUTE.\u00a0 BIG NO-NO).\u00a0 But the science stuff is cool to learn about and demystifies the whole scariness of everything. \u00a0What is appropriate? \u00a0Ask your local librarian. \u00a0Any book that lists the age as two or three years older than your child may get a little too scary.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Empathize with listening and hugs.\u00a0 A little but of talk is okay, but I find it only serves to ramp things up, emotionally speaking.\u00a0 Listening while nodding and making \u201cuh-huh\u201d noises work pretty well for almost all problems, and yes, it does ease anxiety.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DON\u2019T TELL THEM NOT TO BE SCARED.\u00a0 They already are, so that ship has sailed.\u00a0 You want to make statements like \u201cIt WAS a little scary, wasn\u2019t it?\u00a0 And you know what?\u00a0 We made it, we are all here.\u00a0 Mommy and Daddy are going to take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Try to distract a little.\u00a0 If they seem to be getting fixated, try to change the channel.\u00a0 Get them involved in a craft or project or activity they love.\u00a0 The special Legos or Polly Pocket can come out for this\u2026<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And, most importantly, if you fret and worry with and for them, your kids are reading you like a book.\u00a0 They can literally FEEL your energy, so get relaxed.\u00a0 Seriously.\u00a0 Yoga, books, tea, turning off media (HEAVILY recommend that), whatever.\u00a0 Your kids cannot chill if you can\u2019t.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GET THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER AND: –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t lie to them.\u00a0 Don\u2019t promise them it will never happen again.\u00a0 Because it might.\u00a0 And then they are re-traumatized and you are a liar.\u00a0 SO, use language like \u201csometimes when this happens (mimic the earth\u2019s plates bumping), they keep bumping a little, and so we may feel something else\u2026.\u201d –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which leads […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[60,482,202,450],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fear","tag-nighttime-routine","tag-plans","tag-routine","tag-separation-anxiety"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen kids are anxious (about let\u2019s say...EARTHQUAKES): - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When kids are anxious (about let\u2019s say...EARTHQUAKES): - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GET THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER AND: –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t lie to them.\u00a0 Don\u2019t promise them it will never happen again.\u00a0 Because it might.\u00a0 And then they are re-traumatized and you are a liar.\u00a0 SO, use language like \u201csometimes when this happens (mimic the earth\u2019s plates bumping), they keep bumping a little, and so we may feel something else\u2026.\u201d –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which leads [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-24T05:17:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-12-04T17:47:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meghan Leahy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Meghan Leahy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/\",\"name\":\"When kids are anxious (about let\u2019s say...EARTHQUAKES): - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-08-24T05:17:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-12-04T17:47:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/#\/schema\/person\/e4e0d31e5da894d0dcd2c68ae07bcdc3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/fear\/when-kids-are-anxious-about-lets-say-earthquakes\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When kids are anxious (about let\u2019s say…EARTHQUAKES):\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/\",\"name\":\"Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\",\"description\":\"Helping parents. 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