Turinys
Address all current topics?
Journalists and shrinks agree: no taboo subjects with children ! “ We can tackle everything, it all depends on the words we choose and the images we show », Explains Christine Ceruti, author of Learning to read TV (published by L’Harmattan). Indeed, it is better not to hide anything from them, even the most serious subjects such as pedophilia for example. Without going into sordid details, parents have a duty to inform their child about what is happening and to teach them, at the same time, to be careful with strangers. When it comes to wars, you can explain to your child that people are being killed in Darfur or Iraq, without putting pictures of victims under their noses.
Newspapers made for them
Like many parents, questions from your offspring on certain subjects confuse you. The answers she expects may be at the newsstand! On the press side, the little French are not left out. There are many dailies, weeklies and magazines designed especially for young readers. The news is dissected there with simple words, attractive illustrations… They provide essential information to understand the world in which they grow up. Your child will surely appreciate it. In addition, reading a newspaper, “that’s great”!
Children in front of the 20 p.m.
To the question “Can we let the children watch the television news?” », Most shrinks answer yes, taking into account, of course, their age and their sensitivity. Even though the presenter often warns families by asking to remove the younger ones from the television set, ” a lot of violent images go by unexpectedly Notes Christine Ceruti. Et the smaller the viewer, the greater the damage. Unlike a film, he cannot say to himself that “it is for fake”.
Chat to avoid trauma
Nightmares, haunting thoughts… ” The child keeps his anxieties deep inside him and heals only if he evacuates it through words », Explains the psychologist. Abanish from your habits: the dinner taken in front of the television news and the imposed silence. You should not prevent your toddler from expressing himself (“Hush, I’m listening!”), But on the contrary, encourage him to do so!
Bring him benchmarks
The child, unlike his parents, does not have the necessary landmarks to understand an event. Faced with a report on the crisis in Sudan, he can quickly imagine that it is happening right next to his home or that it could happen in France. It is up to you to explain to him, according to his capacities, the historical and political context of Africa. How? ‘Or’ What ? ” By asking the child, for example “Do you know where Darfur is? “. If he ignores it, do not hesitate to take out an Atlas to locate him Christine Ceruti suggests.
What are the presidential elections?
On television or during family meals, the presidential elections invest all conversations! It is impossible for children to miss it and yet the politics do not really speak to them. Right, left, Elliot, 5, doesn’t know what it is. On the other hand, the President of the Republic, ” he is the chief of the fire chief, the chief of police, the chief of the ports of the boats and the hospitals “. Fastoche! No need to torture your brains, the simplest explanations are often the best …
Avoid convoluted terms. Democracy, sponsorships, liberalism… forget it! Use words that your child is old enough to understand.
Use pictures. “A country is a bit like a school, on the one hand it is the President who directs, on the other, the director …”
Help yourself with small explanatory books for children. They provide essential benchmarks: definitions, chronology, etc. The illustrations also make it easier to understand. (Check out our selection.)
For the next presidential elections, thWhat if you offered your child to go with you to vote? On the spot, show him “for real” everything you have explained to him: the ballots, the voting booth, the ballot box, the signature register, etc.