There is a fine line between teaching kids to make good decisions and forcing them to think — and worry — like tiny grown-ups.
My son is more sensitive than many of his peers. When he was a toddler, he hated fireworks, feared action movies, and was wary of swimming, large crowds and loud noises. His heightened sensitivity is one small, lovely part of who he is, and we do our best to guide him through troublesome events with dialogue and love. As a parent, I empathize with his worries, but try not to highlight them. He is a happy kid who loves school and play equally — most of the time.
My son was barely 5. His worries should have consisted of how to Velcro his own shoes, zip his own jacket and not fall off his chair while eating dinner. He should not, under any circumstances, have been losing sleep over fear that “bad men” would show up at school the next day. Gender stereotypes aside, this is a fear that we do not need to project onto our already overloaded 21st-century progeny.
Yes! Bring it on, I thought. My son was also terrified of fire, so a practical lesson on staying safe was important. Our schools are serving up a heaping platter of anxiety to our children. When do we allow them to be children? Between too much homework, too much technology and not enough recess, our kids are already overwhelmed. Do we need to add bad men, fake smoke and combat tactics?
I agree with the need to teach our kids how to stay as safe as possible in dangerous situations — particularly in light of the very real tragedies we’ve seen in recent years, and in light of ongoing and serious threats toward certain communities. But there are many ways to keep it kid-friendly, just as we do when we are teaching them other basic life skills.
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