Post 9/11 Help -
Supporting Our Children

by Susan Phillips and Jan Richter, with Julee Newberger
"Connect For Kids"

It's 7:30 in the morning on Wednesday, September 12, 2001. I find my 7-year-old son standing on the front porch of our house in Washington, DC. His hair is sticking out in every direction after a restless night spent in a sleeping bag at the foot of my bed. He is loudly singing a song, to a cheerful made-up tune: “I'm too young to die, I'm too young to die, I'm too young to die.”

Five hours later, I hold my older son, a weeping, angry 9-year-old, in my arms. “Time is making things worse, existence is making things worse, everything is making things worse!” he shouts, then breaks free and runs upstairs to his room, slamming the door—four times for extra emphasis.

All over the country, parents and caregivers are trying to steer children safely through the storms of emotion touched off by the September 11attacks in New York City and Washington, DC. We wonder if we are doing the right thing.

We asked Jan Richter, Connect for Kids outreach specialist, for help. Jan was trained in child and adolescent development at the University of Michigan and was a practicing clinician for over 15 years, working with children, families and adults.

Read the complete story: www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=81738

Content and Link Assistance

In researching the links and content provided on this site, we are grateful to
"Connect For Kids" www.connnectforkids.org

An award-winning multimedia project of the Benton Foundation, "Connect For Kids" helps adults make their communities better places for families and children. The Web site offers a place for adults – parents, grandparents, educators, policymakers and others – who want to become more active citizens, from volunteering to voting, – with kids in mind.