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Talking To Children About the LA Wildfires: Navigating Uncertainty with Calm and Care
If you grew up in Los Angeles, we’re no strangers to seasonal wildfires, but this time was different. From the afternoon until the late evening of January 7, Los Angeles erupted into an inferno, where it was made clear that wildfires are more than natural disasters — they are deeply personal for all of us who lived through them and survived to tell the stories of them.
Nestled in the sprawl of Los Angeles, lies the neighborhoods of the whimsical and historic Black enclave, Altadena, and the peaceful and quaint town of Pacific Palisades, where the recent fires have decimated these communities, the impact goes beyond the physical damage. These communities are significant to the city of Los Angeles, places that hold memories, relationships, and identities.
As families are displaced, as Angelenos face continued wind advisories, the city watches and awaits the question mark of what’s next, with no immediate answers of how long it will take to rebuild, or will Los Angeles fully recover from a loss that seems too big for words. Through it all, the emotional toll on children cannot be overlooked, as the psychological work of grief is not linear.
As an educator and parent, I know that children feel the weight of these moments in unique ways. Their…
