Daily Routine in Wartime
Information center and how to establish a daily routine in wartime
Information center and how to establish a daily routine in wartime
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Hospital Elective Activities
All the information about the hospitals that have renewed their elective (non-urgent) activities. -
Family Care Centers
Due to the emergency, Tipat Halav clinics provide local and accessible services throughout Israel for anyone who is away from home. For further information, call the Ministry of Health's Hotline… -
Self-Care to Be Able to Help Others
During emergencues, parents have a twofold challenge: function and cope with the situation themselves, so they can support and communicate the situation to their children. This way you can take… -
Healthy Nutrition in Emergency
Healthy nutrition is important and helps reinforcing our physical and mental resilience. We have gathered here all the information, hotlines and phone numbers on the subject of nutritional counseling and… -
Keeping Children and Adults Busy
Keeping busy and active during crisis times carries therapeutic powers. It helps self-regulation of powerful emotions, relieve tensions and maintain resilience. We have gathered here some examples for suitable activities. -
Screens in Wartime
Everything you need to know about screen time, both during emergency situations and in general. Pros, cons and what is the recommended screen time for every age group. -
Child and Teenager Online Safety
Especially during war and emergency situations, like the one that we are currently experiencing, the internet provides us with escapism and pleasure, but it may also present us with challenges… -
Information Security and Cyber Security
Alongside physical attacks, the State of Israel is also currently facing many cyber threats against citizens, organizations and companies. -
Staying Home with the Children
Prolonged stay at home with the children may increase both our stress and our children's. Important guidelines for prolonged stay at home and for relieving children's stress and trauma. -
Leaving Children Home Alone
According to law, you can leave children alone at home from the age of 6, but it is recommended not to leave them alone before the age of 9, as… -
Helping Children Understand Tragic Events
A couple of tips that will help you if you need to talk to your children about difficult subjects. -
Parents in Active Military Service
How you can help your children cope with the recruitment of a parent to military service. It is important to remember that recruitment causes pressure but it also provides an… -
Pregnancy and Labor During Wartime
At times of emergency, such as war, we are exposed to stressful situations that affect the health of the mother and the fetus. It is crucial to follow the pregnancy… -
To Breastfeed is to Provide Resilience
Especially during emergency and crisis situations, breastfeeding was found to be especially healthy both for the breastfeeding mother and the nursing baby. All information about breastfeeding during stressful and emergency… -
Traumatic Stress While Pregnant or Breastfeeding
All the information for women who are coping with stress and trauma while they are pregnant or breastfeeding. Tips for coping with stress, emotional support hotlines and more. -
Older Adults in Wartime
During war situations, when everyone's level of anxiety is on the rise, it is even more elevated in older adults. All the information about making accommodations to their home environment… -
Substance Abuse
Stressful and emergency situation may increase abuse of such substances as drugs and alcohol. You should avoid abusing these substances to avoid addiction and you should seek professional help or…
Parents in Active Military Service
Helping children cope when a parent is recruited
The best way to help your children cope is first and foremost to communicate with them in a way that the children understand best, and according to their age. Process the information before you relay it to your children, so you can relay it in a way that is calm and encouraging. Promise them that the recruited parent is trained to do his or her job, and explain to them that they also have a mission as part of the family at home, which supports our soldiers and our people. You should remember that a parent's recruitment causes stress, but it also gives the family an opportunity to come together and grow stronger.
Frequently-asked-questions about a parent's recruitment
What is the best way to prepare the children for their parent's recruitment?
The key word is honesty. You should focus on the children's safety, security and their continued daily routine. If the parent's recruitment involves a change to the parent's lifestyle, such as moving to a different apartment or staying with their grandparents, you should prepare them in advance for this situation.
How do children communicate their distress?
Tension and stress affect children just like they affect adults. Children may complain about headaches, stomach aches, difficulty sleeping, poor mood, irascibility, lethargy or extreme overreaction to the slightest situations, such as stubbing a toe.
Are there any methods to relieve the pressure that children experience when they are separated from their parents?
Yes. You can emphasize that they too have a real position, one that is just as important. Sometimes, stress is caused by feelings of helplessness, insecurity or uncertainty about the new situation. When the children are "doing their job" like doing chores or playing with their siblings they are helping their parents and pull their weight around the house.
General tips for communication with children of all ages:
- Be careful about sharing your emotions with the children. Don't share too much and don't share too little.
- Maintain the children's familiar routine. You should continue to follow the children's familiar routines and activities such as playtime, school time and a regular bedtime. You should continue to celebrate the children's birthdays and other special occasions in their life with joy and excitement.
- You should ask the recruited parent to record a couple of chapters from a children's book before his or her recruitment. Then you can play the recordings to the children, and it may ease their separation and attachment pains.
- Listen to your children's concerns. Be there for them when they are ready to communicate.
- Restrict your children's exposure to screens and media coverage to help ease their anxiety and concerns.
- Take care of yourself! Find some time to rest, to watch a movie or to do something just for you. We are all more vulnerable when we are tired, and we all function better when we get enough rest and time to connect to yourself.
- Seek professional help in exceptional circumstances, such as when a loved one is seriously injured or killed, or if you feel that you are unable to cope with the situation alone.
Talking to children about the parent's recruitment
Children aged 3-4 have no concept of time. For 3-year-olds, three more months mean next week. Use certain landmarks in their familiar calendar, such as "dad or mom will be home right before your birthday, or before such and such holiday".
Children in early elementary school possess better concept of time. They understand that three months is a long time. You may want to use a calendar. You can mark the estimated date when the recruited parent should be back home.
Children aged 7-8 are able to understand time and more abstract concepts. They can look at the calendar themselves and mark the days. Children in this age group understand such concepts as good or bad. You can explain to them that "mom or dad went to punish the bad guys".
Children aged 9-12 are already capable of abstract reasoning. They are aware of the news and capable of understand such concepts as "for the state's good". You may share with them their parents' estimated date of return, and they will understand how much time this is.
Older teenagers are a more challenging group, even in the best of circumstances. This is a highly emotional and challenging stage of life. This is the age where boys identify with their fathers and girls with their mothers. If the parent of the same gender is recruited, it can be especially difficult for them.