How to talk to your kids about 9/11

Last Updated on Friday, 09 September 2011 20:45 Written by Shane Butler Friday, 09 September 2011 19:25

The 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks of 2001 is this weekend and that can bring up a lot of difficult and sad memories and emotions.  It is important to handle it carefully when talking to our children.

There are some great ideas of how to talk to you children about 9/11 in this article written by Dr. Harold Koplevic. "A decade later: Talking to your kids about 9/11. "

Some of the recommendations are:

• Be age appropiate
• Don't give more info than what they ask for
• Limit what they see and hear about the attacks (Too much can cause stress and anxiety in your child)
• Be sure they know it was a few individuals and not an entire population of people that attacked.

Another article you may wish to read is found here where author and mother Susie Boyce also mentions Dr. Koplevic's recommendations and adds a couple of her own like pointing out some of the good human traits and actions that followed the event.  People working together despite differences, etc.

Look for positive ways to remember and teach about 9/11 so we can move towards safety and peace together.