When going through drug rehab or when experiencing any other sensitive situation, it is vital to know how to process this information when engaging with children. For example, writing about these types of topics to children can seem like a significant challenge. What details do you share? Should the language be honest and straightforward? And what should kids know about the difficulties of this situation?
As a result, it is essential to know how to write about addiction and other sensitive topics to children. Doing so can make recovery much more straightforward. It may also be a good idea to educate yourself with useful references on drug rehab, addiction, and other mental health literature. It will help make any treatment you get more relaxed and also make it simpler to write about this sometimes challenging process with honesty and integrity.
Children are smarter than most realize
Writing for children requires a careful understanding of their intelligence – most people assume that they are nowhere near as smart as they are in reality. Children are very sharp and can understand a lot more than you may anticipate. Many have a basic idea of addiction and other types of health problems but may not understand the whole reality that exists behind them.
For example, the science behind addiction and how it impacts the body will go over the head of the average adult, let alone a child. However, they can understand the basics of it more quickly than you may expect. In this way, they may get the idea that a drug changes a person’s body and makes them need to take it and changes how they behave in adverse and problematic ways.
A child can understand this idea quite well, though the moral implications may be harder for them to understand. Though children have capable and adaptable minds, they may still think in somewhat black and white terms. However, you can break this type of thinking by writing to them honestly and showcasing the many different sides that impact a case of addiction and treatment.
Approach the topic honestly
Writing about addiction is something that you need to do in an honest and open manner. Describe what happens when a person gets addicted and how it changes them. Trust the child to understand how this process occurs and the ways it can impact a person. Keep your writing straightforward – your sentences should be descriptive and simple to engage the reader.
Critically, you need to make sure that you are honest but not traumatic. For example, you can tell children that someone they love is addicted or explain what treatment means. However, you don’t have to share excessive or scary details, such as withdrawal pain. Though absolute honesty may seem wise in this situation, too much information may be overwhelming to many children.
So there’s a bit of a balance in this situation. It would help if you made sure that a child is informed but not freaked out. They must know what addiction means and how it is treated without getting the sense of the pain it may cause. The struggle is real here and requires you to understand how much children should know for their age and how to write to that level.
Write for their age but not down to it
You should always be honest about these topics when writing for children and take their age and reading comprehension into account. If a child is a kindergartner, you must use simple words that they have in their vocabulary. Though you may use some more complicated terms as a learning tool, their reading comprehension will be quite low.
And remember – don’t talk down to them as you write. Use language that suits their age but which isn’t alienating. For example, phrases such as “ain’t that right, kids?” seem out of place and can make a child feel like you’re trying too hard. Though you may have seen this type of writing before, it is best to avoid it because most children understand that it is insulting to their intelligence.
Here’s an excellent guide to this process – what do you think your children or some children you may know should understand about addiction? What types of language would they know? Write for a specific person in the age group to which the article is focused. In this way, you can better understand the phrasing to use and how you can avoid confusing or even upsetting a child.
Always reach out for help
When addiction impacts a person, it is crucial to get care right away to ensure that they are as healthy as possible. Without high-quality treatment, it is hard to recover. And writing about this process is something that not only helps a person better understand the experience but makes it easier for their children or other children to get a grasp on what is happening here.
Make sure, as well, that you understand how to talk to children about this problem if necessary. Writing about addiction is one thing but about talking about it requires courage and focus. For example, you’ll need to make sure that your tone of voice is understandable and not condescending. Children can tell right away if you are talking down to them, and they hate it when you do.
Author bio
Patrick Bailey is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them.
Sources
Surgeon General.gov – Facing Addiction in America
National Institute on Mental Health.gov – Children and Mental Health
USA.gov – Mental Health and Substance Abuse
SAMSHA.gov – Addiction Counseling Competencies
U.S. Department of Education.gov – Typical Language Accomplishments for Children, Birth to Age 6 — Helping Your Child Become a Reader
National Institute for Literacy.gov – A Child Becomes a Reader
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