“With all the violence and natural disasters and other trauma in the media today my children are constantly afraid. How can I talk to them about these things and help to ease some of their anxieties?”

The nature of the relationship we have with our children can often create situations where we as parents are uncomfortable having certain conversations with our children. Sex is one of the biggies I hear most often: “How do I talk to my daughter about sex? I feel so uncomfortable even saying that word around her.” The fact is, children are going to get the information they are looking for one way or another, whether from their peers, television programs, the internet, and so forth. Unfortunately, often times the information they find is erroneous. False information can be problematic for a variety of reasons and can lead our children down paths we don’t even want to fathom. As parents we have the opportunity to give our children accurate and healthy information, in turn giving them a better foundation.

Working with trauma and anxiety is much the same. If we avoid talking with our children about their concerns, either they will find the information they’re looking for elsewhere, or create it within themselves. Developing a relationship where your child feels like you will not only listen to her concerns, but also understand what she is saying, has the propensity to open the lines of communication between you and will in itself begin to ease her anxiety.

So many children in our society today don’t feel like they can talk to their parents about major concerns because either they won’t listen, or they won’t make the effort to understand them. Creating a relationship where your child feels like you will listen and understand them will pave the way for you to help them work through even the most significant traumas and anxieties.

For a complete list of the dozen ways to help your child cope with trauma & anxiety click here.

Nick Hersey, LAMFT, LAPC

nhersey@ GROWcounseling.com