Letters to the Editor: Parents, don't freak out over Jan. 6 in front of your kids
To the editor: Children are resilient and take their cues from the important adults around them. With that in mind, I would hesitate to offer too much information on events such as the Jan. 6 insurrection. ("Parents should talk about Jan. 6 with their kids. But how?" Opinion, June 9)
Rather, ask children if they have any questions or concerns. Then really listen, slow down the pace of your words, and encourage with a nod of the head or by asking, "Can you tell me more?"
Try to remain neutral. Offer enough information but not too much, and remember to take the child's lead. Often the question a child asks is not the one you assume is being asked. It's a delicate balance between explaining and actively listening.
Kids are very intuitive. They know when the important adults in their lives are distressed or angry. But our job as parents is to remember that we are the grown-ups, and our actions and words are very influential. So, measure your response to their questions and help them come up with their own answers.
Childhood is so brief. Adults must respect that fleeting time. It's our job to keep them safe — including sometimes protecting them from our current events.
Genie Saffren, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Paul Thornton wrote in his your piece on his children's concern about Jan. 6, "Even my young kids had gathered enough just listening to the news."
Perhaps kids would spend a bit less time in the fetal position if they were exposed to a bit more Samuel Clemens and a bit less Chicken Little.
Joe Silvia, Thousand Oaks
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To the editor: There is no doubt that young children are being affected by the harsh realities that surround them, and they deserve an explanation as well as reassurance that their parents will protect them from harm.
As a 98-year-old, I have memories of Adolf Hitler, Gerald L.K. Smith, the House Un-American Activities Committee and the ugliness of the world since the 1930s until Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
The way my Jewish parents comforted me was by reassuring me that they were working hard for good guys (leaders who opposed the bad guys). We listened to the radio and together and would dissect what the Hitlers of the world had to say, and we listened to the good guys like FDR and cheered them on. We even wrote postcards to the good guys.
Doing something that is positive (such as writing postcards to get out the vote) can be one thing that can be reassuring for children.
Where is Mr. Rogers when we need him?
June Solnit Sale, Los Angeles
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
