It is natural to want to shield children from the harsh realities of life but the fact is that violent and tragic events do happen and, as a parent, you can help your son learn coping mechanisms. Discussing the effects of wars, terrorist activity and local problems can help to develop a dialogue between you and will create a stronger and more open relationship.
In the past, it was possible to limit exposure to negative news stories but the availability of smartphones and computers means that children are likely to stumble across them on their own. You may want to lead your son to a reputable online news source which will provide balanced coverage without sensationalism. Websites maintained by the BBC and CNN are a good place to start. If your son is younger, the BBC website has a children's news programme
bbc.co.uk/newsround which also provides background information to current stories. You may want to look at the sites together and discuss some of the articles. For off-line news, a quality newspaper may be too advanced so you may want to consider child-friendly publications such as First News
firstnews.co.ukWhen you come to discussing events, make sure that you are in a safe space, away from distractions. The aim is to create a dialogue rather than turning the exercise into a liberal studies lesson. If your child isn't interested, don't force the issue. Wait until a more favourable time presents itself.
When you are discussing the news, you can emphasise the differences between your lives and the stories you have encountered. Hong Kong is an incredibly safe place and we have a highly visible police presence which may give reassurance to a nervous child. If stories involve train or plane crashes, you can try to give some perspective by finding statistics which show that these incidents are tragic but rare.
It is hard for adults to understand why some atrocities take place and you may not always be able to provide answers for your children but you can help them understand what might drive people to commit such actions. There may be a history of psychological illness or drug abuse behind behaviour which you can discuss with your children. There have been recent stories of extreme violence in Hong Kong as a result of methamphetamine consumption. The Hong Kong Police website
police.gov.hk has clinical explanations of the effects and side effects of the main illegal drugs which offers information without being judgmental. Discussing drug abuse may have the added benefit of allowing your child to discuss future encounters with you.
