 So I want to come everyone, Alhamdulillah that I'm here please forgive me if I had a very long day so if I say anything wrong just you know I know we're all here not judging anyone so I would appreciate that. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances but Alhamdulillah for the space that we have here so we could all be here for each other and support each other in this very difficult time. Everything that I wanted to say has already been shared so by Dr. Rania and Dr. Zahra but I will share some stuff. I work with kids as well I work with kids from ages four five to grade five and one thing that I wanted to emphasize is that you know the kids look up to parents when it comes to emotional regulation so you guys are the role model for your kids they look up to you and see how you deal with your emotions and that's how they learn to deal with their own emotions so if we have you know like of course this is such a difficult time and we're all like almost glued to our TVs and phones and you know whatever page you open there's something that's very tragic and it's you know we're human and they are our own loved brothers and sisters and for some of us could be very close family members so it's very difficult for us as adults to be really not feeling those intense feelings that come with such you know experiencing such major trauma and kids look up to you so how you deal with your emotions is how they will do it and especially the very young ones they they don't like to see their parents sad so what they will do is if they see you not being able to deal with your own emotions they will turn inwards they're not going to talk about their own problems or issues and a lot of the time some of them may know about what is going on some of them may not know but then they will see you you know dealing with a lot of different emotions and then they will hold on to whatever they have and for for these young very young kids you know a little thing that might look very trivial for us it's a big major thing for them and then for them not to be able to come to to their parents because they're so stressed out and they're like I don't want to go I don't want to burden my parents any further right then you know then we have really suppressed their feeling we have really thought them that you know it's not okay for them to open up when they have difficult feelings so as much as possible as much as you can focus on how to you know on how to be grounded how to be in the present right try to limit your exposure to to graphic content to the media and that would go the same with your kids that are you know monitor what they're watching what they're being told you know whether we like it or not they're gonna hear it from the outside so why don't you be that source right you know why don't you make that environment create that environment for them where they can come to you you know you you know you can listen to them validate their feelings and also provide them with accurate information because they are getting a lot of inaccurate information from media you know you open Instagram there's like you're bombarded with these different things that are not accurate and then they go to school right they go to school and they're exposed to a lot there and a lot of them feel very isolated in school it's very isolating you probably feel it in your own workplaces where you know our experiences are not validated and so that really feels as feel isolated and for kids that's like you know when they don't have an outlet to to safely discuss what they're feeling it is you know what they would do is they would suppress those feelings and then a lot of the time kids they don't have the the like especially younger ones the the verbal articulation to come and talk to you and say hey you know this is what they're just going to show you in different ways so you might see changes in sleep patterns you could you may you might see like behavioral issues you have you know like kids because they want to have control they want to have some sort of control in whatever is happening so maybe they will start to didn't you know say I don't want to go to school they might develop like all of a sudden this anxiety they cannot let go of parents so and then there's you know the also there's the the fact that so it's my name will come back guys um so I was as I was talking about ways to help kids feel validated and heard you know I would emphasize to continue to maintain a routine their normal routine as much as possible because that gives the kids a sense of control over the situation and then like I said before limit their exposure to media sometimes maybe with the older ones maybe you could watch the news together that way you can control what they're watching and also you know correct any you know anything that's not factual and another thing that I wanted to mention is that if your kid is old enough to learn about if they have learned about other genocides at school then this is it will be okay to have that conversation about the conflict this conflict about them and the history of that and going you know making it like as a as a almost like a research project where you go together with your child to you know trusting sources to help them understand the situation better the more they you know it's it's clear for them and the more that they understand they can come to you when they have difficult emotions the better they will be able to deal with the situation another thing is that you know sometimes we we're so worried that we're constantly maybe it's family member we constantly look for the news or we're constantly calling people to make sure that family members are okay that you know a lot of other symptoms may develop and you can see in your youth that include like lack of sleep they're having difficulty focusing in concentrating they are having difficulty connecting with others so in these cases making sure that you as much as you can you you know surround yourself supporting people so staying connected with your community if they're kids right having that group like play dates whatever it is where you have other people that are like minded that are you know supportive of your cause and you get together with them and allowing them that atmosphere to be able to be themselves and not feel like they're being judged not feel like what they're saying is wrong and that you know there's them against someone else but they're all you know we're all together just like over here you know we're here to support each other creating that kind of atmosphere for our kids so they feel validated so they feel supported and not isolated some I know we are very tight on time but one thing that I wanted to mention about very young ones sometimes they don't understand you know because they are so young they don't understand how close they are to the conflict so it's very important that you know maybe that you make that clarification for them for example you can actually bring out a map right and then tell them this is where we we live where we are and this is where the location is and for you know and that that could be you know for us it's not a big deal but for young kids you know it's about their safety they want to feel safe and if you are providing that for them you're you're basically allowing them giving them permission that to to feel it's okay to be afraid and you know staying away from phrases like don't be sad because sadness is a very normal reaction to what is going on around us or don't be afraid these are you know these are emotions emotions Allah swt have created he has created these for a reason and they're there for us to experience so we want to make sure that as parents we're allowing ourselves and our children to be able to express them in a in a you know in an adaptive way and kids they don't know how to you know channel their feelings but you can be that source for them you can create that safety for them that where you know they can work through their feelings you can do work art together create something together go for walks together just sit down and sometimes just be with them right you know listen to them without passing any judgment ask them open-ended questions and try not to judge what they are saying and what they're bringing into the conversation let them lead basically the conversation and just one other thing that you know sometimes for some kids who are already stressed out or are dealing with other mental health issues suicide could be a high risk at this time because this is a very stressful situation and this could be that one last thing that pushes them off the edge so really be being you know watchful and really being there for your kids and making sure that they feel validated they are heard and supported you can meditate together you can go like I said go for walks together color together and just anything that would give them a sense that they're not alone it it's it's very like I sit down myself with my kids and we have like these big coloring pages and we just color and I find it very you know relieving and it feels very calm and peaceful we're not even talking sometimes and we are just coloring and it's it's and it's a big bonding thing too right we're bonding with them and at the same time we're letting them know that this is one safe way to express your feelings and emotions like I said everyone has covered everything that I have said but just just be careful be watchful if you see that your kid is there you know like maybe they're regressing like Dr. Rania said maybe they're becoming more aggressive if this is something that has these changes have lasted more than two weeks that this is where you need to be concerned reach out to someone you know to their doctors or mental health clinicians so that way they can get the support that they need as well like just like all of us we all need support so there's I just want to make sure that you understand that there's no shame in seeking that help thank you we're putting some resources in the in the WhatsApp and the chat box for either coloring books with children or books related to resources and also in that guide that I was telling you about earlier there's some links related to other resources for you and for them in terms of how to talk about Palestine what is the history what is the work in case that they're trying to make sure that their facts are straight and your facts are straight in a time where there's a whole lot of misinformation and a lack of correct facts and as I pass it on to Mona I just want to add one last thing that it's okay to tell your kids you don't know it's totally fine and that I think makes it more human and more you know something that they can connect with