Yulia Baranovskaya, Larisa Surkova, Oksana Dmitrova And Yekaterina Kruglova Discussed How To Talk With Children About The War At The Victory Museum On The Eve Of The Day Of Memory And Sorrow - Pa

On June 18, within the framework of the Red Carnation campaign, the Memory of Generations charitable foundation held a meeting with parents and children at the Victory Museum, where the guests discussed how to properly talk with children about the war. The discussion was attended by the Ambassador of the Memory of Generations Foundation Yulia Baranovskaya, psychologist Larisa Surkova, blogger Oksana Dmitrova and the fund's executive director Ekaterina Kruglova

Do I need to talk to children about the war? How do you prepare for such a conversation? When is it worth starting it and how to correctly present information from a psychological point of view? The parents discussed these and many other questions with experts at the meeting dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Mourning and the birthday of the Memory of Generations charitable foundation. A special program was organized for children as part of the event.

“It is very valuable that the Victory Museum was able to present information about such a difficult, but extremely important stage in our history, in such an interesting format, accessible also for young children,” says Yulia Baranovskaya, Ambassador of the Memory of Generations Foundation. - Looking at the exhibits of the museum, at the names of the heroes, at the interactive installation, I can hardly refrain from crying. All this evokes an incredible response in my soul. And, willy-nilly, the question arises: would I do that? Information about the war can be presented in completely different ways. History knows no other such example, when the people fought desperately and remained unconquered. It is our duty to convey to our children important lessons of humankind and teach them to live in peace.

Experts and parents talked about the age at which it is better to start talking with children about the war, about the problem of the fourth generation, about family traditions and various tools of patriotic education, about how to properly build a conversation from different points of view.

- The theme of war is a very family theme. An example of a family, relatives and friends is always the strongest, most effective. Parents are afraid of children's tears and therefore often avoid talking about the war, trying to isolate the child from information that is considered extreme. However, it is through tears that the child deeply experiences emotion, this helps him to draw the right conclusions, - says Larisa Surkova, family and child psychologist, mother of five children. - From the point of view of psychology, there are no taboo topics. We can talk with children about everything that is in our life, because the more prohibitions we build around children, the worse the educational result we get. Children feel very subtle. If the child begins to ask questions, and the parents get lost in the answers, this does not lead to anything good. Talking about "difficult" topics is not intended to scare children. On the contrary, our task, in a sense, is to dispel these fears, to teach a growing person to overcome them. One of the ways children learn to deal with their fears is by playing war games.

Oksana Dmitrova, a popular blogger, mother of many children, author of the book “Mom forward”, believes that when playing the war, children not so much put themselves in the place of the belligerents as they project images of their family heroes or heroes from books and films. Such a psychological "maneuver" helps children feel that at the right time they will also have the strength to overcome any difficulties.

- At home we talk with children about the war, share family stories, study photographs, - says Oksana … - We have a family tradition: we collect our family tree. In stories about our ancestors, we somehow touch upon the theme of war, because in our family it has touched several generations. It is important for me to see the connection between generations in the eyes of my children, to know that they feel that such people are behind them. My heart hurts when you hear: "Why scare children with war?" It's not a question of scaring the kids, it's a question of giving them a foundation. I believe family roots are a pillar that will help children to stand firmly on their feet throughout their lives. Even if a war went through your garden, destroying families and destinies, if your ancestors coped with such trials, then you yourself will be able to overcome your life difficulties. But for this you need to know.

Researchers of historical memory remind of the existence of the "fourth generation problem": descendants who do not find living witnesses lose the link between generations. For many modern children, the Great Patriotic War is just a chapter in a textbook. Should the new generation be reminded of the terrible pages of history? It is necessary, because the point is not to allow history to repeat itself, - says Ekaterina Kruglova, executive director of the Memory of Generations Foundation:

- War is scary. Any combat conflict when people kill each other is terrible. And you never need to hide it. There should be no romanticism in conversations about war. And it's okay when the story brings tears and pain. This is pain in the name of life. This means that the memory is alive. We want everyone who buys a Red Carnation badge with a child or for their child to explain to him that this way you can not only honor the memory of your great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers, but also help other people right now. Charity must be deliberate. We must show that people remember each other and unite not only on holidays, not only once a year, but also in other situations when someone needs help.

Let us remind you that June 22 marks four years since the foundation of the Memory of Generations charitable foundation. During this time, the fund has provided assistance to more than 9,000 veterans in the amount of over 600 million rubles. For four years in a row, from May 1 to June 22, Red Carnation volunteers have taken to the streets to remind everyone of the immortal feat of our ancestors and the harsh lessons that history teaches us. All funds raised within the framework of the action are directed to the provision of high-tech medical care to veterans of the Great Patriotic War and other hostilities in which our compatriots took part.

• pamyatpokoleniy.ru
• carnation.rf

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