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How to approach subject of home invasion with a toddler!

594 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  DahliaRW 
#1 ·
I need ideas on how to gently approach a home invasion with my 4.5yo daughter. Thankfully she was asleep and stayed asleep when I barricaded myself and my infant son in her room. She only woke up once the police were inside, and she ran back in her room and fell asleep again as soon as she saw them. I don't know if she will remember anything in the morning, but if she does, can you suggest some talking points?

Honestly, my plan is not to discuss it unless it comes up. But also to have another home safety/stranger danger discussion a few days from now, once I have all the damage cleaned up. If it does come up, I was going to downplay it and put a spin on it that would put the police in a more positive light (as their response time and investigation left a lot to be desired). I thought I could just tell her that something scared me so I called the police for help, and they came and made sure we were all ok. Ironically she'd been waking up the past few nights with night terrors, and I always tell her that my number one job is to protect my babies. And I accomplished that, as we are all safe and sound, though there is evidence that at least one of the burglars sustained injury . Thanks for the advice, I do appreciate it.
 
#2 ·
To me, your plan sounds very similar to what I would tell a preschooler. You were scared, called the police to help you out because it's their job to help out, and ask her what she remembers about the police being in the house. If she seems scared, work through it with her. Let her talk about what scared her, remind her that she can always talk to you if she's scared, things like that. Preschoolers don't need a lot of info, imo. Just enough to answer their questions and make them feel better. Just remember that she may come up with a lot of questions in the future and be ready to revisit the situation when you least expect it. She might ask you what will happen if you get scared again. If she does, think about making a plan with her.

Of course, she could be like my 3.5 year old, who only wants to know if the firefighters came to help and not care about anything else lol.

Hugs to you, I hope you never have to experience that again!
 
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