Should I use a crisis as a teaching moment? If I do, what life lessons should I share?
When a crisis happens, should you or can you use it as a teaching moment? The answer to that is absolutely yes. And what you do with that really depends on the age level of your child. With little ones, it's a great opportunity to say, "We love you, and we do everything we can to keep you safe. And just know that grown ups are handling it." As they get older, upper grade school, junior high and high school level, it's a good time to ask them, "What would you do if you saw a crisis happening?" How should you and could you react? Who would you tell if you think something bad might happen, or a crisis might be brewing? It's just an opportunity to shore up their skills a little bit.
