Plane crash with discuss with the children

Plane crash should be discussed with children

03/26/2015

Currently, the crash of a German Wings machine in France dominates the news. Of course, children also get something from the bad disaster. Parents should confidently respond to the fears and questions of their children. An expert gives tips.

„Did you hear about the plane crash??“
Parents should best be careful of their children, whether they are dealing with bad news from the world. This could be the case most recently in the plane crash in France. Kristin Langer from „look at“, an initiative that gives tips on dealing with media, advises in a message from the news agency dpa that a simple question such as „Did you hear about the plane crash??“ can serve as a door opener for a conversation. Plus, it's good to say what you think about it yourself: „That makes me sad.“

Children need clues
In order to classify something, children need clues. Sometimes they just do not talk because they're not sure what's right, Langer explained. If a child has heard of the crash and is very affected, it is important to provide basic security. This works, for example, with a hug and phrases like „We take care of each other“. It is also important to give the child an opportunity to ask questions rather than explain the whole situation. Otherwise, parents do not even know what their young exactly busy.

Afraid of the next flight
Perhaps the first question the child poses is how the pilot and his family are doing. Then sometimes it can be helpful for a child to translate the feeling into an action: „I write a letter to the pilot family“, Langer calls an example. Even if you do not send it off, it can help to express one's own feelings. Maybe the child is also afraid to get on a plane for the holidays. „Children always relate what they see in the news to their daily lives“, Langer explained.

Relate misfortune
In such cases, it can help to show, for example, how many people care about the safety of a flight. In the case of children from the end of primary school age, according to the expert, it also works to relate misfortune. For example, by clarifying how many flights there are every day and how often things go wrong. According to Langer, older children can do a lot on the factual level. It may also help knowledge that adults are often taught with fear of flying by experts. So it can be reassuring to know that the wings are not about to break because they swing and move. Or that the wings are sufficiently elastic so that they do not break off. Such information can be found on the Internet, in books or in seminars on coping with fear of flying.

Watching children's news together
Caution is required when taking pictures from the news. Langer explained: „I am only starting to build an inner protective framework at the age of ten.“ Therefore, children under the age of ten can not distance themselves from violent portrayals. This is one reason why kids should not be in the room when the classic adult news is on TV. It's better if you watch children's news together or the reports on special children's pages on the Internet. (Ad)