Hello to all moms and dads! 💗
Today I came up with a sad, important topic. I was led to this topic by the realities of life in which we now live. If you know, the situation in Ukraine is very tense now. Yesterday, dictator Putin announced that he recognizes part of Ukraine's territory as independent republics, which is a direct seizure of Ukraine's lands by Russia.
The whole world is talking about the military threat to Ukraine from Russia. My country Ukraine lives in full tension, every family is worried about what to do in case of an attack by troops.
Having lived all my life (almost) in independent Ukraine, mostly in peace, it is very difficult for me to perceive that war may come to my home. But the war in the occupied territories of my country Ukraine has been going on for 8 years.
What is the war and why the President of Russia wants to seize the territory of Ukraine - I had to explain these questions to my children very often. My children (older boys 9 and 12 years old) know very well what is happening and how it all started. They understand everything. But my little daughter (5 years old) knows about our conversations, but it is still impossible to explain the seriousness of the situation.
My sons hear from the news that every day can be the beginning of a full-scale war, but they continue to go to school, do their extra work, train in football, go to music and drawing. My daughter goes to kindergarten and leads a carefree children's fun life.
I talked to my children about how we will act in the event of a full-scale Russian offensive on our country, in particular, it may be our home.
I was with my second son when he was 1 year old. 18.07.2013.
Procedure during the war:
If children are in school, they should hide there in a shelter that teachers have already told them about. Do not run home alone in any case, wait for parents or adult instructions.
If the connection or the Internet disappears, wait for adults or parents.
Realizing that hostilities could reach our home, we planned to evacuate to my home village in western Ukraine (closer to Poland's borders, so we hope it's safer there than in the Ukrainian capital).
Car evacuation has many nuances, as we cannot take all things with us. Therefore, you need to take only the essentials.
We put all the family documents in one bag, so that in case of an emergency evacuation we would not look for documents in different closets.
If we do not have time to evacuate, we must hide in the shelters in our house.
We are constantly recharging all our gadgets and power banks, because in the case of acacia, the power supply may disappear.
We also refueled a full tank in both cars (mine and my husband's) and refueled regularly to keep the tank full.
My eldest son when he was 4 years old. 7.11.2013.
What things should be taken during the evacuation?
First, the documents, which, as I said, we put all in one bag.
Second, gadgets, phones and power banks.
Third, money (of course, preferably cash).
Necessary clothes and shoes (according to the season).
Food and water for a snack while traveling, especially if it is far away.
Anything that is not on this list - you can not take. But if you get into the car part of children's toys or bedding, or something else - take. I have no idea how it is to experience children, they can be stressed. It is better to have their favorite toys near them.
My children with their toys.
Important things to explain to children
It is difficult to talk to children about the war. I can't imagine how easy this topic can be. But it is necessary when there is military aggression in your country. So I talk to the kids about the war without panic. The main thing is to present information clearly and in a structured way.
Children need to feel safe around their parents, although to be honest, it is very difficult to be safe in such conditions.
When evacuating, children should understand that this is a difficult situation and that there is no place for games or whims.
I am with my daughter
We need to tell children with the utmost precision what we will do under certain circumstances.
Unfortunately, we need to tell the children that we may not return to our home during the evacuation. Yes, it is very sad and difficult, but there is no need to have high hopes.
My children
Against the background of all this anxiety, it is important to provide children with a normal life now, for example, to cook delicious food, play with them, do their favorite things, go for a walk. Children should not see the round-the-clock experience of mom and dad, they should live.
My conclusion is: excitement aside, a clear plan of action and conversations with children. Preparing for any scenario is important. Better a poor horse than no horse at all. Children need to know about the military situation, but live their carefree lives, so the job of parents is to ensure that.
Sorry for such an exciting topic, but now the world is restless, I hope it will be useful for others.
Thank you for your attention, Peace to all! 🙏