2018
Dealing with Disasters
August 2018


“Dealing with Disasters,” Ensign, August 2018

Friend Connection

Dealing with Disasters

Use the Friend magazine to help your family understand a different sensitive topic each month.

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Friend Connection article

Earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorist attacks. In any disaster, one of the earliest casualties is our children’s sense of safety and security. That can be true even if the disaster is on the other side of the globe. No matter how hard we may try to protect them from shocking news, children hear about traumatic events at school and glimpse disturbing images on phones or televisions. They can also feel shock waves of sorrow, anger, and fear reverberating from us. So how can we comfort and empower our children?

Children’s advocate Fred Rogers passed along the advice his mother would give him after traumatic events: “Always look for the helpers” (in Fred Rogers and Barry Head, Mister Rogers Talks with Parents [1983], 183). We can also teach our children to look for “the Helper”—a loving Heavenly Father whose helping hand is always stretched out to His children. This month’s Friend can help families cope during those inevitable times when disaster strikes.

The Lemonade Stand That Changed Everything” (page 32)

After a terrorist attack, a child feels comforted and empowered when she helps her neighborhood raise money for injured firefighters.

What’s on Your Mind?” (page 34)

This page gives lots of ideas for serving others in the wake of an illness or disaster.

I Can Always Pray” (page 24)

These activities remind children that they can always pray to Heavenly Father, including when they’re frightened or sad.

Emergency Scavenger Hunt” (page 35)

Help everyone feel more secure by making or updating your emergency kit.