Explaining an accident to young children

Motor vehicle crashes are tough for parents for many reasons. Not only do injuries prevent many from taking care of daily responsibilities (especially when a victim is hospitalized or immobilized for a period of time), but the financial problems that arise in the wake of a wreck are also extremely tough for those who have kids to raise. One way that parents are able to help their children process what is happening is by talking to their kids about the accident. However, this is also tough, especially for those with young children.

When children are very young, it is sometimes difficult to explain what is going on and help them understand. As a parent, you must do everything you can to provide your child with emotional stability, even amid a crisis such as a serious accident that has left you with high levels of pain or other consequences. Life often changes in a lot of different ways following a crash, whether a victim is permanently immobilized or they have to take medication that affects their personality. Sadly, these challenges are particularly hard for many children to process.

While talking about an accident with your child, try to provide them with reassurance. These wrecks bring a lot of uncertainty and many children have serious concerns about their lives and their parent’s well-being. Moreover, look into some of the options that are open if you were hit by a reckless driver. For example, if you take legal action and financial resources become available, this will help you move forward and benefit your entire family as well and we go into more detail on this route on our website.