ORLANDO, Fla. – Each morning on “Breakfast With Bridgett,” there are interesting stories and interviews, plus weather and traffic to help you plan the day.
As the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season draws near, we continue to keep an eye on the tropics.
Preparation for emergencies, evacuations, stocking supplies and securing property come up a lot, but what about how children deal with the storms?
Thursday, Bridgett talked to Dr. Elie Hessel, pediatric psychologist at Nemours Children’s Hospital.
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She says kids’ anxiety can be reduced during hurricanes by giving them a sense of preparedness and directing them to positive points to consider throughout the process.
“It can be really important how you, the adult, the parent in the situation, respond. So, they’re looking to you as to how to respond and react to a situation, and it’s normal for you, the adult, to have a reaction, but the more you can think about, ‘Alright, I’m gonna stay calm, I’m going to talk about the things I’m doing to help myself feel OK. So, I’m going to remind myself, even though our car got damaged, our family is safe. Even though we might have to go to a shelter, we’re all together.’ It lets the kids know, ‘OK, that adult, who I look up to, they’re calm, so everything is OK,’” she said.
Watch the full interview for more resources in the player above.
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