The last year and a half has been a scary one for all of us. We are worried about our families, our jobs, our livelihoods and our way of life. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that this situation is scary for our children also. Very often, in our preoccupation with managing our families and trying to keep them safe, we don’t take the time to make sure our children are okay. They don’t always understand what is happening and they try to make sense of the situation by coming up with their own solutions which are often wrong and tend to make them more anxious than they need to be.
No one knows your child better than you do! You know when something is wrong and you know best how to help them understand your situation. This isn’t always easy. Explaining a situation as complicated as the one we are in to a child can be very difficult. Here are some phrases and statements you can use to talk to your child about Covid and make sure that they feel heard and understood.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new germ or bug. It is something like a cold.
Germs are tiny organisms that live in our environment and can make us sick if they get in our bodies.
You cannot see germs with your eyes (only under a microscope). They are a bit like chilli. You cannot see chilli on your hands but if you lick your fingers or touch your eyes you will know it is there!
The germ that causes COVID-19 spreads easily from person to person and infects the breathing system, our nose, throat and lungs.
It is passed from person to person through tiny droplets when people cough or sneeze.
These droplets can be breathed in by others – which is why we should try not to get too close to others and cover our sneezes and coughs with our arm or a tissue.
The droplets might land on surfaces, like phones, door handles, tables and hands. If we shake someone’s hand or touch these things and then touch our eyes, mouth or nose, the germ can get inside us. Be careful when you touch these surfaces and remember to use sanitizer.
We need to try not to touch our face, avoid shaking hands and wash our hands often, especially before eating (when we put our fingers to our mouth).
The disease is more serious in old people and those that have other sicknesses already.
There are doctors and nurses in hospitals who are taking care of people with covid, giving them medicines to make them feel better.
I know this has been going on for a long time, but things are slowly getting better.
If you have any questions, don’t be scared to ask an adult.
It’s okay to be scared – but make sure you tell someone if you are afraid so that we can help you be less afraid.
We are always here if you want to talk about anything. I know you are scared- I am scared, too. You are not alone.
Remember to:
· Use age appropriate language. For example, when speaking to a young child, use words like ‘germ’ or ‘bug’ rather than ‘virus’.
· Show you are listening and that their concerns are important to you.
· Explain that you haven’t been through anything like this either but that you can take things day-by-day.
· Remind them you are there to look after them.
· Tell them if we listen carefully to advice and put one foot in front of another, it will be okay.
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