Children, Families, & Stress
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Family Plans for Disasters
Children have an especially difficult time dealing with and understanding events such as war and terrorism. That is why it is important for parents to prepare themselves before discussing these topics with their children. Children can sense when situations like this occur, therefore, parents must help them understand what is occurring before they encounter the situation in another way, such as images on television.
There are many resources available now for helping families deal with different emergency situations. The sites that are listed as links on this page can help you deal with these different situations. They examine what families should do to help them deal with war and terrorism.
When dealing with the issues of war and terrorism they will provide you and your family with useful information in many different areas. There are pages to help parents to explain war and terrorism in ways that will be easier for their children to understand. Others looks at how you and your family should prepare ahead of time, what you will do in case an emergency situation occurs, and the supplies you should have in your home to prepare for the situations.
Family Emergency Kits
Talking with your family and preparing emergency kits is important because you will be prepared for an emergency at anytime. This pertains to natural disasters, not just terrorism and war. The following are items that every emergency kit should include:
- Water
- Food
- Tools
- Clothing
- Blankets, and other supplies
For a more detailed list refer to the Red Cross Disaster Supplies Kit list.
If you have any additional questions or would like to learn more about this area refer to the provided links.
Links
- American Red Cross - Family Disaster Planning - Information from the American Red Cross about how families should plan for disasters.
- Creating a Family Plan - Advice from the National Homeland Security Office on developing a family emergency plan.
- Furthering Families - Information on family stress, financial management, and food safety, developed for farm families and food processor. From Michigan State University Extension.
- Helping Children & Their Families Cope with Disasters - Information on how to help Families, and young people cope with disasters.
- MSUE -- Helping Children - Contains a list of sites to help families and communities cope with issues related to war, terrorism and other disasters.
- National Association of Social Workers - Tips from social workers on helping your family cope with disasters.
- Responding to Natural Disasters: Helping Children and Families - An article on how to respond to natural disasters and helping your children cope from the National Association of School Psychologists.
- Strengthening Families and Communities in Times of Crisis - A resource from the University of Nebraska containing a wide range of community and family topics related to disasters and terrorism.
- Supporting Families and Children - Articles provided by the University of Minnesota concerning how to cope with changes such as a loss in wages and how to communicate with your children.
- Supporting Families Following a Disaster - A resource from the University of Arizona that provides ten articles pertaining to families and disasters.
- When a Parent Goes to War - Suggestions from the Military Family Research Institute on talking with children.