Charlie O'Brien blog: Talking to children about terrorism after the Manchester bombing
Published: 07:00, 26 May 2017
Updated: 07:03, 26 May 2017
What an awful week.
A number of times over the past few days I’ve tried to find the words to express my feelings.
And I can’t. I’m not sure anyone can.
What happened in Manchester is despicable beyond belief – and we cannot begin to imagine what the families affected are going through.
One thing I’ve seen popping up everywhere since the attack – is advice on talking to children about terrorism.
Given that we, as adults, struggle to come to terms with what’s happened – it’s impossible to know where to start with children isn’t it?
Thankfully I’m not at that stage yet. My son Noah is only two years and four months old and I am five months pregnant with number two.
When we woke up to the news early on Tuesday morning I sat in our living room and cried. Noah rarely sees me cry. He came over a bit bemused and gave me a cuddle. I felt relieved that I didn’t have to explain to him what atrocities the UK and the world had woken up to.
I felt blessed that he could carry on in his beautiful world of ignorance – his biggest worry being that he’d misplaced his favourite toy train. But as my family grows older, I won’t shy away from the topic – I know that much.
If you’re worried about how to discuss this horrible topic with your children, here are some really good resources...
I grew up in the 1980s when the IRA were very active. I am sure you’ll also remember the time when we were encouraged to stay away from London. School trips were cancelled and I even remember a school friend’s dad being at work when his office block was bombed. (He was fine thankfully.)
But my parents always talked openly and honestly with us about what was going on, and more importantly – how to stay safe.
From a young age I knew to stay away from unattended baggage and bins and to report anything suspicious. And I have in fact done that on a number of occasions.
Growing up in and around London this level of awareness has always stayed with me.
I even remember my parents deciding to take us on a day trip into central London one time and me questioning if it was safe. They said that we had to keep on living our lives – despite the threats. Something that I still believe applies now – as a parent living in this era and new level of threat.
Stay safe, and I’ll see you next week.
Charlie X
Follow Charlie’s pregnancy journey here