December 01, 2023

Episode 294: Discussing War and Other Challenging Topics with Your Kids

44 minutes

Sheryl Ziegler, Psy.D. holds a Doctorate in Psychology and is a Registered Play Therapist in private practice. She is the author of Mommy Burnout: how to reclaim your life and raise healthier children in the process. She is currently working on a new book. She is a regular national and local news contributor on topics related to parenting and mental health and did a Tedx talk on "Why Moms are Miserable" which is all about the power of connection. She is the host of Dr. Sheryl's PodCouch and the founder of the parent-child puberty course, Start with the Talk. She is a frequent speaker on chronic stress, parenting and burnout. Most recently, she has been named by Colorado’s NBC affiliate (9News) as their Parenting Expert for the new franchise series Mental Health & Me.

Listen to this episode of Whinypaluza, with Dr. Sheryl Ziegler about how to discuss sensitive or scary topics with your kids, including current events like politics and war.

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:

Start your conversation by asking your child what they know about the subject, to get a starting point. Use open-ended questions.

Understanding the kinds of information your children are exposed to in the age of social media.

Open up the conversation by asking follow-up questions and providing facts so they can come up with their own opinions.

Meet them where they are at- age-appropriate conversations.

The parent is the most influential figure in kids’ lives up until about the age of 15.

It is ok to share opinions with your kid but keep the dialogue open.

Understanding shifting narratives as current events progress. The conversations will be ongoing.

How to avoid over-sharing! Fight, Flight, or Freeze plays a role.

It is ok to revisit a conversation and admit you were wrong about something, or to admit you don’t know something.

Listen more than you talk and slow the conversation down.

Understand your personal conversational strengths and weaknesses and don’t be afraid to enlist someone else who may be able to better discuss the subject

Ask your child where they are getting their information from and what platforms and people are influencing them.

Helping your child do something with the feelings they have around what they are seeing.

Continue building compassion and empathy in your children so they are better empowered to process the things they come across outside of the home.

Connect with Dr. Ziegler:

DrSherylZiegler.com https://drsherylziegler.com/

Start With The Talk https://startwiththetalk.com/

Mommy Burnout by Dr. Sheryl Ziegler https://a.co/d/gu0MWLI

Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-sheryl-s-podcouch/id1464058631

TedX Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwvctN3Uejg

Facebook https://facebook.com/mommyburnout/

Twitter https://twitter.com/drsherylziegler

Instagram https://instagram.com/dr.sherylziegler

Pinterest https://pinterest.com/drsherylziegler/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/drsherylziegler/featured

LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/drsherylziegler

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By Rebecca Greene

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