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How Can I Talk to My Child About War? Family Services Human Services Division social workers provide short-term counseling and case management around issues of finances, housing, employment, aging and interpersonal relations. The Human Services Division is the local Salvation Army representative and may provide limited emergency assistance as available. Social workers provide advocacy and linkage with other services as appropriate and are available to Skokie community providers as needed. Please call 847/933-8208 for further information on assistance in any of these areas. Youth Outreach Program Assist-A-Family Gifts are dropped off at a designated place and families then pick up the gifts. All families remain anonymous to the donors. If anyone is interested in assisting a family this year, or if you are a family in need or know of one, please contact the Human Services Division at 847/933-8208 for further information. Donations in the form of a check or gift certificate are accepted all year-round. Please make checks payable to the Village of Skokie (put Skokie Neediest Family Fund on memo line). How Can I Talk to My Child About War? It's important to communicate to children that they're safe. Given what they may have seen on television, they need to know that the violence is isolated to certain areas and they will not be harmed. Parents should try to assure children that they've done everything they can to keep their children safe. Overexposure to the media can be traumatizing. It's unwise to let children or adolescents view footage of traumatic events over and over, and they should not watch these events alone. Try to dispel any rumors your child may have heard regarding war and encourage your child to ask questions and discuss his or her feelings about the topic. Explain that war is serious, and many people decide for many hours whether or not it should happen. Adults need to help children understand the significance of these events. Discussion is critical. It should be stressed that there are "bad" people out there, and bad people do bad things. But not all people in a particular group are bad. Children should know that lashing out at members of a particular religious or ethnic group will only cause more harm. Explain that in every situation there are two sides and that not everyone will feel as you do about the war. For younger children, explaining war should be kept to simple terms and examples. Show your child a map or globe of where the war is and where your family lives, emphasizing the distance between the two places. Some ways to help your children cope with the idea of war include: Discuss your own fears about war outside of the home, so as not to distress your child. Participate in proactive activities such as collecting food for the American Red Cross. Offer extra love and support to your children during this time of fear by spending extra family time together. Contact the Human Services Division at 847/933-8208 for further information. |
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Village of Skokie
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