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American Morning

America Under Attack: How to Help Children Deal with Tragic Situation

Aired September 13, 2001 - 10:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to move and get to an angle of this that we've trying to get for some time now, and that is, what do you do with your children, the children in your family that may be trying to deal with, or in your minds, grapple with what has happened here, the tragedy that hit this country on Tuesday.

We are joined this morning by Dr. Alvin Pouissant, who has been standing by, very patiently I should add, with us in Boston, Massachusetts this morning.

And, doctor, thank you very much for bearing with us under the different breaking news we have had today and yesterday, as a matter of fact as well. We're glad to have you. Most of us in the building have a lot of respect and we are very familiar with your work on this topic dealing with children over the years.

And I want to ask you, first of all, do you suggest that parents engage children on this issue, even if they have -- the children, that is -- even if the children haven't begun to ask questions on their own?

DR. ALVIN POUISSAINT, CHILD PSYCHIATRIST: Not with very young children. In fact, I think children below the age of seven probably shouldn't even be watching these events on television. But, unfortunately, many, many young children did, because their parents had the television sets on, because they were so anxious to follow the events, and the children saw a lot of the atrocities, and the tragedy and the violence associated with the what happened, and were very, very terrified and fearful. In those cases, the parents have to reassure those children and make them feel safe, and try to explain to them that children who have questions about what's going on and what's happening, and they have to tell them the truth, that some angry people, who were angry against the United States committed this awful act and blew up the building and killed people and injured people. But to also, then reassure them that they are safe.

Children will very quickly personalize these types of tragedies and they'll wonder whether someone is going to will blowup their schools, someone is going to blowup a building in their town, whether their parents are safe going to work. So they will have a lot of fear and anxiety.

HARRIS: Let me ask you, two things I want to talk about. Number one, schools, number two. How do you approach a child with that? And talk to them about the things like that? You just mentioned the vulnerabilities their parents may have at work, what may happen to them when they go to school. How do you talk to child about that and avoid -- I guess avoid instilling some sense of victimhood?

POUISSAINT: Well, I think one of things is that -- the society is not completely safe. And parents already teach their children how to protect themselves. We did a lot of that after the school shootings and so on. So many of them know that things are not completely safe. I think in this situation, you tell them just like you did after the school shootings, that your trying to make things as safe as potential for them, that the government is, the FBI is, the aviation industry is, and that you are safe, and also that particularly for children outside of New York and Washington...

HARRIS: Doctor, I'm sorry to interrupt. I have to cut you off, because it sounds like your microphone fell off. I want to give you a chance to find out and pick up, because I want people to hear this point you're making. Folks, you have to understand this is live television and this is the kind of things that happens from time to time.

So I want to let you begin at that remark again, doctor, because I think that's very important. Give the idea of what you're supposed to talk to children about who don't live in New York, children who are outside of the area of Washington D.C. Or New York, where these things have happened.

POUISSAINT: The children who live outside, I think you can tell them their relatively safe. They haven't experienced it directly like the children have in Washington D.C., in New York, who I think are suffering another level of trauma because of it and another level of fear, so they are going need even more attention, just like the adults there are suffering from a lot of losses and grief.

I think children who live in other parts of the country, you can pretty much reassure them that they're safe and that the government is doing all that they can and will track down the perpetrator, and this is not likely to happen in their community, and then, give them a lot of support, a lot of family spirit, togetherness, and it will help them.

I know there are children already who have been watching these events on television and have had nightmares, and very, very anxious about what might happen to them. But I think with support from the family and so on that this will pass and they will be OK.

HARRIS: Wise words.

POUISSAINT: Also schools can do things. Some children want to feel like they're able to help. If they wrote some poems or had some art drawings and so on, that they made for the families or the victims and so on, gives them a chance to show they also care, and I think helps to relieve a lot of the fear and pain that they're feeling.

HARRIS: Dr. Alvin Pouissant, we want to thank you very much for baring with us this morning. We appreciate your words of wisdom. We certainly hope that they have been digested out there.

Thank you very much.

POUISSAINT: Thank you.

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