How kids cope with the specter of terrorism: from games and drawings to fund drives, American children are finding ways to manage in the aftermath of Sept. 11. VFW members can play a vital role by communicating with the young

VFW Magazine, April, 2002 by Shannon Hanson

By now, the images might be familiar--crude, vivid crayon drawings of tall buildings on fire, planes crashing into them and even people falling from the tops. While the graphic nature of the drawings may seem disturbing, experts say they are one of the best ways children can express their feelings about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The events were "so startling, so dramatic, so unknown to anyone's previous experience that they have affected us all in profound ways," said Dr. Michael S. Jellinek, chief of child psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. And while most adults are able to process the tragedy and work through it, children often are not. So their feelings manifest themselves in different ways.

After the attacks, many children displayed a variety of symptoms of stress. According to USA Today, in a New England Journal of Medicine poll of 560 adults conducted the week following Sept. 11, 35% reported having children with at least one stress symptom, including nightmares or irritability. Nearly 50% claimed their children were worrying about their safety or that of their loved ones.

Children of all ages are affected. "There's not a preschooler in America who has not been affected by Sept. 11, experts say," reported USA Today. Kids saw the images on TV, or felt anxiety from their parents about the attacks, the ensuing war on terrorism or the anthrax scare.

Talking about their feelings and fears may be difficult for some children, and they may express them in more creative ways, such as play, artwork or games. One of the more common responses has been the plane-crash game, in which youngsters crash toy planes into buildings. Sometimes, they even include people falling from the buildings.

Like the graphic drawings, dramatic play may make some adults uncomfortable, but it helps children cope with scary feelings, well-known pediatrician and author T. Berry Brazelton told USA Today.

EXPRESSING FEELINGS

Drawings and games may work for young children, but older children need additional avenues to express their feelings. In his new booklet What Happened to the World? Helping Children Cope in Turbulent Times, early childhood development expert Jim Greenman writes: "The feelings of powerlessness and helplessness shared by both children and adults are alleviated through action. There are hundreds of ways to connect with others around the world and show our common humanity: pen pals, children's fund drives and community work.

Many children are doing just that. In the weeks following Sept. 11, nearly all 6,000 residents of Manitou Springs, Colo., took part in a T-shirt fund-raiser to help kids in New York City. They raised $12,000 for a program to aid low-income and immigrant children there.

"After Sept. 11, we wanted to find a way to have our kids directly help the kids of New York," said organizer and town firefighter Michael Foos. "Our motto was `Kids Helping Kids.'"

In addition to selling them, kids also designed the T-shirts. Out of more than 300 pieces of artwork created by children in kindergarten through 12th grade, four were printed on the shirts. It proved to be a way for kids to not only help others, but also themselves. "A lot of kids drew American flags and wrote very sincere messages," Foos said. "The drawings allowed them to express their feelings and emotions."

Eighth graders at Moore field Middle School in Moorefield, W.Va., also were moved to donate their effort and money to help in the aftermath. The group, inspired by their history teacher Jim Sisler, collected more than $10,000 for rebuilding the Pentagon.

On Sept. 12, instead of his regular history lesson, Sisler asked his students how they felt about what had happened. In an attempt to assuage his and their grief, he pulled $10 out of his pocket to donate to the cause.

Thirteen-year-old Lasidi Helmick then stepped in and spearheaded the fund drive. School administrators contacted Rep. Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.) to urge Congress to establish a government fund to accept private donations for the rebuilding project. President Bush signed it into law in December as part of the Defense Authorization Act, and four months later, Helmick handed the $10,000 check to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Other means of helping are not so extensive, but just as important. One of the simplest things children can do is write letters to troops overseas. Classrooms of kids everywhere are writing letters to GIs, sending them various holiday cards and "adopting" units. One such endeavor was Operation Valentine, through which more than 4,000 schools nationwide sent anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred valentines to the troops.

The Washington, D.C.-based International Neighbors Club One, made up of spouses of ambassadors, members of Congress, the U.S. government and Supreme Court justices, organized the project. Mary Jo Myers, wife of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers, coordinated the distribution.