How to Talk to Kids About Ukraine

Young people have access to more news streams than ever, and many are concerned. Here’s how to address their questions.

*Many are bound to have questions about the history between the two countries and how the clash may affect the rest of the world.

“My tween called me at work yesterday to ask me if this was World War III,” said Emily W. King, a child psychologist based in Raleigh, N.C.

How should you answer your kids’ questions about what’s going on? If they don’t ask, should you bring up the issue yourself?

Here’s what experts suggest.

Take cues from your kid.

f your child asks questions, it may not be that they are terrified or upset. Many kids “will just ask us questions out of curiosity,” Dr. King said. When they do, try to answer them calmly and accurately, without getting overly emotional yourself, she said.

Young kids may not know about the conflict, but tweens and teens may well have heard things from friends or seen worrying memes on Instagram or TikTok.

“I have already heard teens on social media sharing jokes about gearing up to be drafted for World War III or about nuclear threats to cities that they may live in,” said Dr. Hina Talib, an adolescent medicine specialist at the Atria Institute and pediatrician at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

If they don’t seem all that interested in what’s happening, that’s OK, too, said Robyn Silverman, a child and teen development specialist. “You don’t need to push it,” she said, although she suggested that parents at least broach the topic — perhaps by asking what their children have heard about the conflict — and make sure they know a bit about what’s going on.

“You can say ‘Look, I totally get that you’re not interested in this moment. But if you are, please come to me,’” Dr. Silverman said.

Look for signs that your child is feeling anxious.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/well/family/kids-teens-ukraine-russia.html