A 5- to 10-year-old child might overhear a hyperbolic statement about the coronavirus and say to Mom or Dad something like, “I’m afraid we’re all going to die.” The appropriate response is a very clear one that invites clarification: “We’re not all going to die. Tell me what you heard that makes you think that.”

It is important that we do not promote an apocalyptic narrative. Kids this age are less self-involved than younger kids, and so they worry about the impact not just on themselves but on others around them. Yes, you want to educate, but you also want to know what they’ve heard and how they’ve interpreted that information. Make sure to ask questions.

Children 11 to 15 years old

At this age, most children have begun to hone far more sophisticated thinking skills. They think both logically and abstractly. They also can understand sarcasm and irony. It is not helpful to talk carelessly about doomsday scenarios, but an older child is far more likely to see the humor in sarcasm than a younger child.

Remember that adolescence is very stressful even in the absence of a national emergency. Kids in this age group are likely to have concerns that feel much more pressing to them than how many people have the virus or how much toilet paper is stocked in the house.

Don’t be surprised to hear something like: “This is all ridiculous. I’m going to hang out with my friends tonight. Nobody is sick.” The best response here is: “I know you want to hang out with your friends. But we’re part of a community and we have to protect not only ourselves, but others in our community as well.”

Tap into the part of your child who understands that there are others in the world besides him or her. Adolescents can be very self-centered but also socially conscious. Remind them that their aunts and uncles and grandparents need their help. Sympathize with their lack of access to friends. This is really tough for young teenagers.

And finally, as parents, our first order of business must be to calm ourselves. This does not mean sticking our heads in the sand, but it might mean limiting our own exposure to frantic and frightening media. For many of us, it will require pulling out those behaviors that serve us well in other times of stress — meditation, gardening, exercise, nature. We are showing our children what it means to tolerate emotional discomfort. This is not the last time in life we will face a global threat. And it certainly is not the last time our children will.

This is not the apocalypse. The crisis will pass. In the meantime we will have to teach our children how to deal with uncertainty. We don’t have to love it. But we do have to model it.

Madeline Levine is a clinical psychologist and the author of “Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World.”

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