Coping
With Terrorism For Kids
The
September 11th terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and
Pennsylvania will reverberate around the world now … and for generations
to come. The traumatic impact unleashed upon innocent individuals and children
has overwhelmed our nation.
Most kids were affected by the September 11th attacks in one way or
another -- through your parents, school, your friends, or the media.
Some of you will have had parents or loved ones killed in the tragedy. Others
of you will know friends whose loved ones have been killed.
Some of
you won’t know anyone, or have reactions to the threat or the attack at
all. You may feel safe in your homes and communities.
Younger
kids in particular, may not understand adult reactions. The profound pain we
feel will always be in our hearts, yet we must go on. In an effort to help you
cope with this fear, hurt and confusion, we have teamed up with the experts.
Together, we hope this information to helps you.
Spend
time with friends.
When we
talk with each other about tragic events it helps us. While each of us is
affected in a different way it is through our caring relationships that we find
the support to bear pain and to heal. This event reminds us of how fleeting and
precious life is. Talk with the people in your life. As you struggle to make
sense of this, it is a good time to think about what you do believe and what is
most important in your life.
Try not
to watch it again and again on television.
Seeing
these images over and over will not help you make sense of it. The images are
horrifying yet we are attracted to them. That’s common. But by seeing this
again and again, you distort things.
Young
children may even think that there are hundreds of attacks rather than four. If
you are watching and your younger siblings are around, turn off the TV. You may
be able to handle this, but they will certainly distort things.
Don’t
let this make you feel unsafe in your home or school.
Your
home and your school are still safe. Steps are being taken to make things even
safer.
Don’t
be surprised if you can’t get it out of your mind.
It’s
normal for your mind to take "unbelievable" events and go over them
again and again. This may include images from this event popping into your head
or dreams or things like the sound of an airplane causing you to think about
this again. Over time, this will get better.
Even
though you may be far away from this event, don’t be surprised if you have
very strong feelings about it.
Watching
this on TV and having everyone talk about it makes it feel closer. It was a
horrible thing. And you may find yourself overcome with sadness, fear,
confusion and anger. This is normal. With time, these feelings will get less
powerful too.
These
feelings will be change from moment to moment.
You may
find that out of the blue you are thinking about this and crying. You may have
a hard time falling asleep. You may be scared to think of your parent traveling
on a plane or working in a public place. One moment you will be fine, the next
so sad and another so angry. This emotional roller-coaster can be exhausting
and you will find yourself feeling tired and having trouble concentrating. For
most of us, this will pass.
Don’t
direct your anger at the wrong people.
Don’t
let the hate that led to this terrorism spread. Do not lump all people of a
certain ethnicity or religion into the same group. This was the work of a small
group of hateful people. Blame them, not some kid in your class who is
different from you.
If you
feel very sad, scared or angry, tell your teacher or parents.
Sometimes
these things can be too much. If you find that your emotions are too strong,
tell some adult you trust. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
Use
your time constructively.
Here are some examples of things you can do:
