Gabriella: What are your top tips on how to talk to your child about the coronavirus?
Eve:
How To Talk With Your Child About The Virus
- It is always best to ask your child/children what they know first.
- Don’t interrupt. Let them finish telling you everything, even if they make mistakes are or misinformed.
- Once they are done telling you what they know, share the facts—keep it simple and developmentally appropriate and/or correct any misinformation.
- Limit how much time you talk about the virus.
- Make hygiene fun for younger kids: sing a song together while washing hands or make-up a game. Reward positive hygiene with words of praise.
Thank you to Eve Hornstein for all her sage words. We hope the ASPIRE community will take this information and learn to handle their stress, to grow from this experience, and nurture aspects of their life they haven’t been able to find the space for. Remember, many of the lessons and ideas in this Q&A can be applied for the rest of your life. Please also see the two additional topics from Eve Hornstein:
Eve Hornstein, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a passion for helping clients find a deep sense of happiness and connection within their relationships and themselves.