A home disaster such as flooding, fire or extensive wind damage is a harrowing experience for adults, but it is truly traumatic for the little people that live there too. Once your family and property are secured and the cleanup and restoration process is well underway, it’s important to turn your attention to the emotional needs of the youngsters in your household and make sure they are emotionally OK. Here are some ways to help.

What Kids Are Feeling

Children need to feel secure and when they see destruction happen in the place where they feel safest, it’s bound to have an effect. This is usually manifested in one or more of the following ways: extreme sadness, fear of what the future may hold, or acting in inappropriate ways. Understand that these are normal reactions, and the key to how well children cope is the behavior of their own parents.

How You Can Help

• Remain as positive and proactive as possible: It’s hard, but you have to do your best to keep your own feelings in check. Do not panic and do not despair: if you face the disaster with strength and resolve, your kids are less likely to fall apart. Kids always, always look to their parents to know how to react to hardship, and they can sense your own fear or feelings of sadness.
• Once the immediate danger has passed and cleanup and remediation efforts are underway, take the time to let your children express their own feelings about what has happened. They need to know that their feelings of sadness at the loss of their routine, belongings and perhaps even their entire home are normal. Talk about how you feel too, always ending with an expression of hope and that your family will survive this.
• Engage in lots of reassuring personal contact: give them hugs, kisses, and squeezes.
• Don’t keep them in the dark: Explain to your children exactly how the disaster came about and what your plans are for preventing such events in the future. Encourage them to give their input so they will feel more in control of the situation.
• If safety allows, let your kids assist with cleanup efforts: they will feel like they are contributing and helping to make things right again.
• Understand that each of their belongings is important to them, even if it’s just an old stuffed animal: try to salvage as much of their things as possible. A good Utah disaster cleanup company like UDK may be able to make that precious teddy bear “well” again.
• Time heals, but you should expect some setbacks. Hearing about another disaster on TV or hearing a siren may reignite their insecurities. Don’t dismiss their concerns: instead, let them talk about it and do a lot of reassuring. If necessary, get them some counseling to assuage their fears.

A home disaster is hard on everyone, but children are especially vulnerable. Getting them back to their normal routines as quickly as possible makes a huge difference. UDK’s top of the line Utah disaster cleanup services can help your home as well as your whole family get back to normal life in the shortest amount of time possible.