Understanding and preparing for the coronavirus can be hard enough for adults, so what needs to be said to inform children on what they need to know about the epidemic?
Dr. Lisa Damour, an American clinical psychologist and author, says you should tell your kids the truth and stay calm.
“Kids take their cues from grown-ups,” Damour said. “If we seem to feel like this is something that we are not overly frightened of, they will assume that they can feel safe as well,” she said.
Tell children what to do to keep themselves healthy and be proactive when it comes to the virus, Damour said. She suggests telling kids to wash their hands frequently, sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice when washing their hands, don’t touch their hands to their face, get a good night’s sleep and eat a wide variety of healthy foods.
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“What we can do is actually talk with kids about the biology of these things. Talk with them about having an immune system — that even if they are exposed, their immune system can fight off a lot of things if they’ve taken good care of their immune system,” Damour said.
Damour says that most of the fear from kids comes from misinformation when other kids talk at school.
She suggests asking them what they hear so that parents can know what kids are worrying about so they can help combat rumors with the truth.
“As this continues to be a major news story and as this continues to be something that is being discussed on the playground, it’s probably worth parents asking their kids, ‘Hey what are you hearing about this in school?’ because there will be a lot of misinformation circulating around and parents want to get in on that and correct the information kids have,” she said.
And when it comes to canceling those spring break plans over coronavirus fears?
She says just explain to kids why it’s a good idea to take precautions and alter vacation reservations this year and make staying local sound like just as much fun.
“I think parents should say, ‘We decided this year that there too many variables, too much was uncertain, we don’t want to get caught in the quarantine’ — whatever the parents’ reasons are,” Damour said. “It’s not about the lyrics, it’s about the tune.”
