Bird Flu Blues - helping kids cope with bad news
My son Josh was scared. You could see it in his little face.
Angst was written all over him. His knuckles were as white as
his t-shirt. He starred down. "What's up?" I asked with a smile
hoping to relieve his fears. "Daddy," he nervously replied, "I'm
afraid I'll get Bird Flu!"
And this from a seven year old! At breakfast time!!
I'm not sure if Josh had heard me talking about Bird Flu or if
he heard about it at school. Whatever the case, kids do hear all
that is going on around us and need to be helped through their
fears before they get a pandemic of the stomach. There are in
fact just a few simple things we as parents can do to help our
kids work through issues, regardless of the age or gender of our
bundles of joy.
A lot of what kids (and especially youth) need is simply an ear.
Talking with your child about the issues at hand is vitally
important. When I explained to Josh that Bird Flu is very
susceptible to heat and that just zapping his breakfast in the
Microwave already killed all those bad guys (germs) his face
light up like a Christmas tree. I also explained to him a few
other facts about Bird Flu including tips on washing hands,
covering the mouth when coughing and not kissing the neighbors
chicken. Adding a few practical steps can help your child relate
to the more complex "how's", and in this case, even have the
added benefit of finally getting those hands washed before meals.
Of course my son knows I travel to Asia and in fact lived in
China where influenza is birthed. So yes, I told him too
of precautions I take, vaccines which are available against the
flu virus and most importantly, that God is in control so I
don't have to worry. I suggested to Josh that he too can pray
for me when I travel and that he is under God's protection. I
took it another step and said we can do something positive and
helpful for other kids. We talked about what he could tell his
friends at school should they get scared. We talked about how we
could pray together for kids in China. And we talked about
giving to help fund research. All these things helped Josh face
the issue of Bird Flu in a different light.
I know that Josh is not completely over his fears. He hears more
and more about Bird Flu and I know that when kids are sick at
school Josh wonders of they "have it." That is why I keep up to
date with Josh about what is going on without making Bird Flu an
issue or blowing it out of proportion. I hear in his prayers
that it is sometimes on his mind, other times not. So I keep a
balance in how or when I approach the subject. And of course I
make the point to always pray God's protection over us as a
family and to keep our house safe. In this way Josh gets a
perspective on life which doesn't suggest that danger is
non-existent but rather that through action and prayer we don't
have to live in fear.