Ukraine and children

Today’s blog is from Cynthia, a longtime member of our SWH leadership team

I recently took my five-year-old granddaughter, Olive, to the LOVE WEEK 2022 Servants With a Heart packing event on July 27 at the Elevation Riverwalk Campus.  On the way there I was telling her that the food we were packing was going to be sent to families in Ukraine who were now living in tents. Naturally Olive asked me why were the families living in tents. As a very prepared grandmother (NOT!) I answered with the first thing that came to my mind, “Because the enemy forced them out of their houses.”  I was trying to avoid words like bombing or war.  Her next question was something like, “Why do they have enemies?”  At that point I wished I had been more prepared to explain what a war is on a five-year-old level.  Olive and I had played the card game War a few weeks ago, so I did use the word war.  I simply answered that Russia and Ukraine are in a war, and that seemed to satisfy her. I did know enough to give simple answers and wait to see if that satisfied her.  It isn’t necessary to give a long elaborate explanation; however, I came home and did a little research on how to talk about the situation in Ukraine to young children.  

Here’s what I learned from Jim Daly, a Focus on the Family writer and advisor:

First, limit what a small child sees on TV or other media. His or her brain is not capable of processing the dramatic news and images.  Actually, don’thave television news on at all when children are around.

Second, provide a perspective that will help the child see how far away Ukraine and Russia are from where we live. It’s difficult for a child to distinguish immediate threats from distant ones. It’s a good idea to show the child a globe or a map so he or she is able to see how much water and land separate our country from theirs.

Third, use simple language and terms that a young child can understand. Referring to Putin as a bully who wants to take control of the land in Ukraine is something a child would understand.

Finally, and most important, assure the child that he or she is a child of God and He loves and cares for each child. Help the child know that God listens to prayers and will always be with His children in scary and difficult situations.

https://jimdaly.focusonthefamily.com/how-to-talk-with-children-about-the-war-in-ukraine/