Purdue University News Service
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February 13, 1998
PURDUE EXPERT ADVISES ON PREPARING CHILDREN FOR WAR
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- As the threat of a U.S. attack on Iraq looms, parents may want to add the evening news to the list of violent TV programs they don't want their children to see.
"Television news is blunt and sensational, and parents need to recognize that it's not intended for children," says Judith Myers- Walls, Purdue University associate professor of child development and family studies. "Even given the current controversy surrounding President Clinton, parents may find they would rather tape the news and watch it later."
Unlike other television programming that can be labeled pretend, Myers-Walls says, images on the evening news are harder to explain away.
But she says screening news broadcasts doesn't mean that parents should avoid discussing the topic of war with their children. "This may be an excellent time for parents to help their children explore values related to war, peace and social concern," she says. "Parents also need to recognize that most children already have some knowledge on the subject and need to feel like they can voice their opinions."
She suggests that parents determine ahead of time how they feel about the current situation before discussing it with their children. "That could help avoid the problem of sending children mixed messages," she says.
Following the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Myers-Walls conducted interviews with 46 Midwestern boys and girls ages 3 to 11 and many of their parents. She wanted to try to understand the conflict as viewed by children. She says their concerns were not just about personal safety.
Many of those children were frightened at the start of the war, mentioning concerns for family safety and the possibility that parents would go to war, she says. "Fear may be a reaction again at this time," she says. "In talking about the current situation, parents could point out that Iraq is far away, and that we don't expect bombs to be dropped here at home."
However, Myers-Walls says parents should be careful not to communicate the idea that because a country is far away, we shouldn't be concerned for the people there.
In 1991, most parents recognized their children's fears, but many didn't realize that children also had other reactions. In addition to concern, Myers-Walls says, children voiced feelings about the war that ranged from anger to sorrow. "They were angry about decisions being made and sad that people were dying," she says.
At this time, the news broadcasts about the situation are not as dramatic as during Desert Storm, and children may not yet know what's going on. "Older children are more likely to hear what's going on and react. Younger children may not be as likely to hear, but they are more likely to misunderstand what they do hear," she says.
For example, she says one 6-year old boy said that the Persian Gulf War happened because people were trying to use blood for oil, a mix-up of the televised chant "No blood for oil." She says another young child showed her a picture of a plane flying into a big rock. "It took me a while before I understood that he had confused 'Iraq" for "a rock,'" Myers-Walls says.
She also warns parents not to underestimate the abilities of their children to pick up on the news of the day. "Children as young as age 3 can become concerned about current events. Children between ages 6 and 8 will have a better sense of things, but it really depends on how involved parents are as to how much and what the children will pick up," Myers-Walls says.
She says parents can help children deal with the issue of possible war by letting them find an outlet for their feelings. "Some children may want to write a letter to a politician; others may want to express themselves in art. Regardless of the medium, kids need to feel they have a voice and can do something," she says.
And if the current dispute with Iraq is settled and we are not suddenly thrust into war, "Then we still need to talk about the issues so that children learn that not every international disagreement leads to a war," Myers-Walls says.
Source:
Judith Myers-Walls, (765) 494-2959; home: (765) 742- 1632; e-mail, [email protected]
Writer:
Beth Forbes, (765) 494-9723; home, (765) 497-7102; e- mail, [email protected]
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