Children can be traumatized by many things such as abuse, neglect, death, drug addiction, alcoholism, violence and sex in movies, disturbing images and videos online. These things can do a number on a child's life when they are not able to work through it with our support. It is our job as a father to be a nurturing support, especially when we feel our kids should just suck it up and deal with it. It could be anything from a terminal illness of a relative to something ...like big storms.
We might forget that children are constantly learning to process these events and depend greatly on us for explanation and support as they build their own skills to cope with difficult situations. Our reaction to our children can be a tremendous help or a severe set back. Its starts at a very young age. We can shelter our kids from necessary traumas but when something unexpected comes up, use language they can understand, empathize with their fears and do everything you can to help them heal from the experience.
