How to talk to kids about the conflict in the Middle East

(NewsNation) — It’s natural to have adult conversations about the ongoing international conflict in front of children. Parenting experts offer guidance on how much kids should know.

As a caretaker, it’s understandable to feel conflicted. Some adults don’t want to have tough conversations with kids at home, but they fear children could learn about the situation through classmates, teachers or eavesdropping.

NewsNation spoke to Franci Crepeau-Hobson, a University of Colorado professor of school psychology, about how to start these delicate conversations.

Crepeau-Hobson says the approach should consider the child’s age and developmental level. The fundamentals, however, are the same:

• Reassure the child they are safe and the community will protect them.
• Maintain a routine to provide predictability and ease their fears.
• Validate and acknowledge their feelings.
• Limit their consumption of disturbing details.

For older children in middle or high school, Crepeau-Hobson recommends checking in to gauge their understanding and helping fill in any gaps, while avoiding graphic details that could further upset them.

“We don’t want to try and sugarcoat things, but we also don’t want to share really awful, horrible details,” she said. “Because that can make kids even more afraid and (create) more uncertainty, and more dysregulated.”

Crepeau-Hobson advises parents to monitor their child’s behavior and seek professional support if the situation starts interfering with their functioning.

An American Psychological Association expert told reporters that children can learn resilience, like any other skill and adapt to adversity and tragedy.