Supporting our Children after the Texas Floods

Catherine Larson, MD
Jul 8
2 min read

Updated: Aug 1

Our hearts are broken for the families affected by the recent flooding in the Texas Hill Country. As we begin to process the tragedy, parents are faced with helping our children process their grief, confusion and fear.

Many parents struggle with what to say to our children after a traumatic event. Many parents wonder how best to support our children-especially when we haven’t yet had the chance to fully process the events ourselves.

Below, I have collected some mental health resources for parents and a few tips that I hope will be a helpful starting point.

Tailor the conversation to their age and maturity level.
Start the conversation but let your child ask the questions when/if they are ready. Ask them to elaborate on their question so you don’t give a more detailed answer than they need.
Answer questions honestly but you don’t have to give every detail if that’s not what they are asking for.
“I don’t know” is an acceptable answer especially if you can follow it with either “but I do know that right now you are safe, and I am here with you”
Monitor their exposure to news stories - younger kids will do best if parents digest the stories and then tell the kids. Older kids may be better able to handle news stories, but too much can be overwhelming.
Trust in the fact that if you care enough about having a supportive and thoughtful conversation with your kids then that’s really all you need.

There are many great online resources if you want to dive deeper into supporting your child or if you think they might need more support.

❤️ American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry- Disaster Resource Center featured article by David Fassler, MD How to talk to children about Natural Disasters

❤️ American Academy of Pediatrics - Trauma Resources for Families How to talk to children about Natural Disasters

❤️ The National Child Traumatic Stress Network www.NCTSN.com

❤️ The Child Mind Institute- Helping Children Cope after a Traumatic Event www.childmind.org

Information presented on this site is for information and education purposes and is not intended to be medical advice. It is not meant to be a substitute for your own doctor’s advice. Please review our site's Disclosures and Terms of Use here: austinchildpsychiatry.com/blog/site-terms-conditions-and-disclaimer

Our hearts are broken for the families affected by the recent flooding in the Texas Hill Country. As we begin to process the tragedy, parents are faced with helping our children process their grief, confusion and fear.

Many parents struggle with what to say to our children after a traumatic event. Many parents wonder how best to support our children-especially when we haven’t yet had the chance to fully process the events ourselves.

Below, I have collected some mental health resources for parents and a few tips that I hope will be a helpful starting point.

Tailor the conversation to their age and maturity level.

Start the conversation but let your child ask the questions when/if they are ready. Ask them to elaborate on their question so you don’t give a more detailed answer than they need.

Answer questions honestly but you don’t have to give every detail if that’s not what they are asking for.

“I don’t know” is an acceptable answer especially if you can follow it with either “but I do know that right now you are safe, and I am here with you”

Monitor their exposure to news stories - younger kids will do best if parents digest the stories and then tell the kids. Older kids may be better able to handle news stories, but too much can be overwhelming.

Trust in the fact that if you care enough about having a supportive and thoughtful conversation with your kids then that’s really all you need.

There are many great online resources if you want to dive deeper into supporting your child or if you think they might need more support.

❤️ American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry- Disaster Resource Center featured article by David Fassler, MD How to talk to children about Natural Disasters

❤️ American Academy of Pediatrics - Trauma Resources for Families How to talk to children about Natural Disasters

❤️ The National Child Traumatic Stress Network www.NCTSN.com

❤️ The Child Mind Institute- Helping Children Cope after a Traumatic Event www.childmind.org