This season has been filled with many natural disasters which can be more than frightening for young children. Hurricanes, forest fires, flooding, and tornados have been a consistent thing for the past several weeks. As parents it can be difficult to help your child cope when you are in the midst of a crisis especially one that borders on life and death. As a children's writer and nurse I have been overwhelmed with ideas about how to also help children in the weeks and months to come with my words and a good story.
The immediate help children need is to feel safe and secure. The basic need for food, shelter, and comfort must be met. But as a writer who also has used a good story to sooth pains from the past I want to create stories that children can turn to later... after the storm... to help them understand and grow from their experiences.
I want to use humor and characters that children will relate to. Humor is a big part of the recovery from a painful experience and that comes with tears. Returning to experiences where a child has felt scared can be very emotional but learning to accept the past and move on to a happier future is essential to the recovery from the trauma. Developing strong characters and introducing a small amount of humor is a must if I want the story to resonnate for years and to stand as a helpmate to a child who has experienced scary events.
Some lines I am playing with that may be repeated throughout the Picture Book I am working on are these:
What we Knew, is never more, but What we know is ever more........
This premice is even if you have lost a home, a pet, a toy, or even a loved one..... a time will come out of that experience where you can look at where you have come and know you have more than enough to be happy.
Wish me luck on translating what it is I want to share into words that children need to hear.