美国国家公共电台 NPR--Do you need to talk to your kids about traumatic events? Sesame Street has some tips

Do you need to talk to your kids about traumatic events? Sesame Street has some tips

Transcript¹

The brutal² beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers in Memphis. Shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, two of more than 50 mass shootings in the United States in the month of January alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The news of these incidents have been unavoidable, and parents around the country have found themselves in the uncomfortable position of talking to their young children about traumatic events.

But there is help from an unexpected source: Sesame Street.

In 2017, Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, started the Sesame Street in Communities program. Through resources like games, stories and videos featuring children's favorite muppets, the program aimed to help parents and caregivers tackle difficult issues.

In one video, Elmo asks his Black friend Wes and Wes's dad why they all have different colored skin. In another, a traumatized Big Bird seeks comfort with a hug from his friend, Alan.

The tools aren't just for kids. The website also includes guides for those in the "circle of care." "So it's not only parents and caregivers," says Jeanette Betancourt, the senior vice³ president for U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop.

"It's early childhood educators, the pediatric community, child welfare or social workers, health care workers, all the influencers on young children's well-being⁴."

Betancourt says the program uses what they call the "Sesame Workshop Model" to develop new teaching material. It includes research and development in partnership⁵ with experts from national partners such as the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Psychological Association.

Talking about traumatic incidents

Betancourt believes that when talking to children about traumatic incidents, it is crucial to make them feel comfortable and secure.

Here are a few ways she recommends:

Provide safety: Assure the child that they are safe and taken care of. Offer comfort items and physical contact such as hugs or holding hands.

Keep routines: It's important that the child doesn't feel a big disruption in their life. That can mean having a meal together, reading together or simply walking.

Model healthy ways of coping: Children look to their parents for guidance, so adults need to practice self care and cope in a healthy way

Spend time together: Activities such as playing games or reading stories together can make a child feel secure and comfortable

Watch and listen: Pay attention to all signs of anxiety or discomfort⁶. Ultimately, you know your child best and can see the change in behavior. 

Although it may be helpful to use these tools to plan important conversations, Betancourt says that these conversations don't have to be perfectly⁷ planned.

"In fact, the more you make it an everyday explanation, a moment when the little one asks a question or shows a sign of distress⁸, it's especially important to take advantage of these resources."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。