At times of crisis, it is a parent’s duty to keep children safe and make them feel safe. We all know this and parental skill at such important reassurance of kids will be pretty high right across Toronto neighborhoods. Licensed psychotherapist Tom Kersting was offering advice to Andrea Grymes in New York today. He made the distinction between younger kids who probably aren’t too aware of the horror in Paris and elsewhere. Older kids may pick up on television reports and ask about why such things happen. The essential duty is to ensure children, both young and teens, that they are safe, that their home is safe and that Canada is safe. Happily all this is entirely true. Kersting especially suggests parents try to avoid projecting fear while being realistic. Keep images and sounds of terrorism to a minimum in the home. Endless 24-hour repetition of events both abroad and at home is enough to depress adults unnecessarily, much less children.
