I’ve been quiet on the blog front… This is due to two things;

 1. My new look, thanks LARGELY to Odette from Osoinspired, who saved my digital behind (again)
2. Life has been realy stressful and my family (especially my lil super hero has needed me) so blogging found itself on the back burner (weird for me as this is my happy space and gives my life much needed routine.)

Our little family has gone through a series of stressful events in the last few weeks and I thought I’d share how I helped Aidy deal with it and hopefully get some tips from you guys as well.

First things first. What is this stress I speak of. Well I explained how real life has been recently…I went into detail HERE.
After that, with me still not well and job situation still up in the air, a few more potholes found their way on to our road.
Potholes that Aidan saw us hit…
Our house was robbed (read about it HERE)

Then my brother and his best friend were mugged and badly beaten – Aidan and I were in car with my dad  when the news came and practically had to “stop drop and roll” out of the car so my dad could go to the scene. Aidy is a bright observant boy so the scars, blood, tears and panic did not go unnoticed.

Most recently my dad had to have emergency op. His appendix ruptured and there were complications. We were even called first thing in the morning as his health took a bad turn…no one wants THAT call. They stabilised him but then his mind was not with us at all.

He doesn’t always know where he is or when it is and when he is not on oxygen doctors are nervous about his blood pressure.
Over the last few days he was in the danger zone so many times I have developed a twitch which comes about every time my phone rings. This has the whole family stressed and Aidy confused…

These events have also left him with questions. Why can’t Pa (my dad) come home? why doesn’t Ma (my mom) want to play with him? Why do “bad guys” hurt people? Why do people take other people’s things? Will bad guys come back? How can he help?

This is how I have tried to help him cope with the trauma.
– I took him to see my dad and explained that Doctors are working to make him feel better before he comes home. I use his own  admissions to hospital as reference.
– I try to keep him in routine as much as possible.
– I let him pray with me (as a Christian this has always helped me feel, proactive)
– I let him see the new security measures we have implemented to help him feel safer.
– I go over our own SAFETY TIPS.
– I listen when he talks and answer his questions as age appropriately as possible.

How do you help your kids deal with trauma?