What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

What to Say to Our Kids When Bad Things Happen

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Episode notes

In light of the recent floods in Kerrville, Texas, Margaret and Amy discuss how we can talk to kids about scary, sad, or tragic events—especially when we don’t know what to say.

Topics include:

• 🧠 How children process grief, tragedy, and fear at different ages

• 🛡️ The limits of “protecting” kids from the world—and when it's important

• 💬 Letting kids lead the conversation and avoiding over-explaining

• 😢 Why it’s okay for kids to see you upset—and how to model healthy emotion regulation

• 🎭 Understanding kids’ “weird” responses to trauma (jokes, play, denial) as coping

• 📺 The unintended impact of news media exposure on young children

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Free and confidential support is offered through resources like the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746), which connects you to trained counselors 24/7.

• Here's Margaret's preferred donation site for Kerrville: https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201

• Zachary Suri for the Texas Standard: "How to talk to your kids about the Hill Country floods"

• Lee Ann Rawlins Williams for The Conversation: "When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery"

• Danielle S. McLaughlin for the Huffington Post: “Having Difficult Conversations with Kids” 

• PBS NOVA: What Next: Talking to children and finding a path to healing after the Newtown shooting tragedy.

• The poem "Good Bones" by Maggie Smith

• Our Fresh Take with Margaret's sister-in-law Christina Martin on How Children Learn Through Play

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