Ukraine: What do we tell our kids?

Ukraine: What Do We Tell Our Kids? – Shrinking It Down

By Khadijah Booth Watkins, Associate Director and Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Posted in: Hot Topics, Multimedia, Podcast

The crisis in Ukraine feels to many like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Between the COVID pandemic, systemic racism, the climate crisis, and now the war in Ukraine, the world may feel increasingly unsafe. Very young children, though, actually respond more to their adults’ distress than to the tragic events themselves. That said, repeated media exposure of horrific events can sometimes lead to PTSD in kids who do not experience the tragedies themselves.

This week, Gene and Khadijah discuss the important work of protecting our young people from the very real conflict they are witnessing in the media, and hearing about at school and at home. Whether you have friends and family in Ukraine, know someone who does, or are simply a concerned global citizen, this week’s episode covers how to help kids of all ages manage the devastation, while taking care of yourself, too.

Tune in for this pressing episode. We hope that our conversation will help you to have yours.

Have more questions about how to handle your young people and military conflict? Write to us!

Media List
Follow along with the conversation.

How to talk to kids about Ukraine (AP News)
CODA – Trailer (Youtube)
The Power of the Dog – Trailer (Youtube)
DOG – Trailer (Youtube)
The Importance of Pets (MGH Clay Center)
Prioritizing Parent Mental Health (MGH Clay Center – YouTube)
Helping Your Kids in the Face of Terrorism or War (MGH Clay Center)
Should the TV Be On or Off During Times of Breaking News? (MGH Clay Center)
Media exposure and sympathetic nervous system reactivity predict PTSD symptoms after the Boston Marathon bombings (Depression and Anxiety)
Self-Care for Resilience – Resources (MGH Clay Center)
Turning to Gratitude – Conversation Starters (MGH Clay Center – YouTube)
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? (MGH Clay Center)
Should kids get a snow day? (The Weather Channel – YouTube)
The Art of Civil Conversations: 9 Parent Strategies (MGH Clay Center)
‘I have family there’: What Americans with loved ones in Ukraine want you to know (Today)

Episode Produced by Bianca Dempsey

Edited by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

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Khadijah Booth Watkins, Associate Director

Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH, is associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Associate Director of the Child and...

To learn more about Khadijah, or to contact her directly, please see Our Team.

Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Gene Beresin, MD, MA is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also...

To learn more about Gene, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.