BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WXYZ) — Every day this week as we receive updates on the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war, it can be difficult for almost anyone to hear and follow, especially children.
How do you talk to your child about the horrors, cruelty, and complexity of this past week's events? Do you bring it up at all? What do you do if they as you?
Mother of two from Walled Lake, Hillary Glaser told 7 Action News that talking to her 10 and 11-year-old sons about the war has been challenging and at times painful.
"I mean I see the anxiety when he comes home and he’s immediately unmasking where he’s been masked all day at school," said Glaser referring to her youngest son.
She said that she spoke with both boys Saturday when the news of the initial attack broke but said going to school, seeing social media, and hearing from friends has added to the difficulty.
When asked how scary it is to know they may see misinformation on social media Glaser said, "Very, very scary. My 10-year-old heard from somebody in his class that Israel sends text messages saying, 'We’re about to level this place.'"
Schools across the country have begun advising parents to limit kids' social media use.
There have been many reports of fake videos going viral and very real videos that can be scary for anyone.
Clinical Therapist and owner of Birmingham Maple Clinic, Lori Edelson said, "Everything gets very confusing to kids so you want to keep it very simple and very direct."
Edelson advises that parents start talking to their children about the conflict by asking what they have seen and heard. Then she suggests parents gauge the conversation based on what their child has told them and their age.
"You may want to say something like ‘You know when very angry bullies pick on people and hurt them? Sometimes countries do that,'" said Edelson.
She also advises that you talk to your children during the day, not at bedtime, and check in on them sporadically.
Most importantly Edelson advises that you instill in your children that there are a lot of good people in this world and you're always there for them no matter what they're feeling.
If your child seems distraught for days at a time Edelson also suggests looking for local support groups or consulting a therapist.
Glaser said; "Whether they’re Jewish students, or Israeli, or Palestinian, or Arab students, or Muslim students, they're all affected. So having somebody just check up on them is really important."
