SPOKANE, Wash. — Whether your family has lost a home, or you're feeling helpless on the fringe of so much destruction, our entire community is going through a lot. Those emotions, from fear to stress, can be easily absorbed by children, so it's important to know how to help them cope.
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It's something top of mind for Taylor, a busy mom and wife.
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"Worrying about your kids through this is actually the hardest part," said Taylor.
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And worrying has unfortunately been a common theme for Taylor and her neighbors as soon as they got word of the growing plume of smoke that exploded into the Old Trails Fire.
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"We all lost our homes," she said. "I just had to focus on the positive."
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For herself and her children.
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"My three-and-a-half-year-old could hear," Taylor said. "He knows what's going on. I had to tell him what happened to clear up the confusion."
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There are so many ranges of emotions for families in our community right now.
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Some, like Taylor, have lost so much. Others are trying to ease the nerves of kids on the outskirts of disaster. No matter what's going on in your household, pediatrician and busy mom Dr. Kat Hudon says it is always vital children know their parents are simply there.
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"You don't need to have the perfect thing to say," Dr. Hudon said. "I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to say this five-minute explanation. You don't need to be perfect. You just need to be present, and you need to be honest."
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She also recommends not coming to rush solutions.
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"We want to fix things for our kids," she said. "Sometimes that's for us and not for them."
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Instead, focus on what you and your kids can control.
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"Just take the advantages where you can," said Dr. Kat Hudon. "If you can find any sense of what is normal for you and your family, I would try to incorporate that into your day."
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It's something Taylor, even as she navigates their new normal, is already working to do.
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"That's really my goal to try to create some normalcy for (our kids) and I hope that a lot of moms are able to do that as well," she said. "If they aren't, I hope they are willing to ask for help."
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And if you're in a position right now to give any help, Dr. Hudon says think about including the whole family.
    
"Parents maybe who aren't affected and have kids who are worried about their community, if you know a family who has been displaced, one of the best things you can do is offer some childcare so that parent or caregiver can go find that respite time for themselves and come back refreshed for their kids," Dr. Hudon said.
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If you have concerns about your child, Dr. Hudon encourages you to talk about them with your family's medical care team.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
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