September 6, 2007

Purdue expert urges parents to prepare children for disasters

Give children enough information that they feel empowered to know what to do in an emergency," says Judith Myers-Walls, an assistant professor of consumer and family sciences. "Don't rely on one big talk, but instead look for teachable moments, because you will have to present these lessons repeatedly through the years."

Myers-Walls says it is important to increase everyone's awareness, but when preparing children to deal with threatening situations, it is vitally important to neither focus on nor feed fear. She says lessons can be incorporated into everyday life and even made into a fun and positive adventure.

"Tornado drills can be turned into a monthly picnic in the basement where the family eats emergency rations from a can, listens to a battery-powered radio and plays board games lit by flashlights," Myers-Walls says. "That's not scary, and it fosters family togetherness, whether or not that family ever has to face that emergency."

She says that attempting to shield children from the frightening realities of the world by not talking about them is counterproductive. In an era when the Columbine shootings, World Trade Center attacks, Indian Ocean tsunami and the Virginia Tech massacre receive saturated television coverage, children already know the world can be dangerous.

"Unfortunately, much of what they know is only partially true or even completely misunderstood," Myers-Walls says. "Let children know that it is OK for them to ask questions, and listen to what they are thinking, even if the topic is difficult or uncomfortable."

Because television is such a powerful presenter of information, Myers-Walls says it is important to teach children that mass media can be a helpful source of information in an emergency or it can be fear-inducing titillation.

"Television news caters to human curiosity and dread when it repeatedly presents images of jumbled trailer parks, collapsing skyscrapers and wiped-out beach resorts," she says. "Children need to know that these images in their living room are often made scarier by what shots are selected and music that is added afterward. They should know that disaster is highly unlikely to strike their home and, if it does, the parents will do everything they can to keep the kids safe."

Myers-Walls says research shows that people who depend on TV for most of their information believe that the world is a more dangerous place than do actual victims of violent crime. That kind of fear helps prompt parents and teachers to instill "stranger danger" into children, making them fearful of almost anyone or anything they do not already know.

"A man with a gun is usually not a criminal; more often he is a police officer or National Guardsman. Dark clouds far more often bring crop-nurturing rain than dangerous tornadoes," Myers-Walls says. "We need to give children perspective and teach them when it is reasonable to be afraid."

Myers-Walls says fear is a disease of focusing on the "What ifs?" But, by its very nature, preparedness focuses on the what ifs, as well. She says the key as a parent is to know your children and how much information they can handle based on their age or temperament.

"Living in Indiana, I don't know much about earthquakes, but I do know if the ground begins to shake I need to seek shelter in an open field, in a doorway or under a heavy table," Myers-Walls says. "That is the kind of practical, basic information children need to know to be prepared, not afraid."

Myers-Walls says providing tools and strategies for preparedness can assuage fear and increase confidence because it helps children feel more in control. Parents also can help children regain a sense of control by helping them find ways to help others who have already suffered disaster. That can include donating money or needed items or raising awareness about victims' situations

"Children can learn how to care for others, and those acts can also help the children themselves to feel more secure and hopeful," she says. "They may think that if they helped others, someone will help them, too, if disaster ever invades their lives. That kind of hope is one of the most powerful preparedness tools."

Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jscshenke@purdue.edu

Source: Judith Myers-Walls, (765) 494-2959, jmeyerswa@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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