What do you do to make a child feel safe after a house robbery child is a girl aged 7years?

Question

What do you do to make a child feel safe after a house robbery child is a girl aged 7years?

Answer 1

Bless your heart.  I'm sorry to read about this.  I'm sorry you all went through this.  The main thing is to talk with her about this.  Ask her how she's doing.  What was the scariest part for her?  And then begin the process of empowerment.  Talk about your home being a safe haven, and how this home robbery was something that occurred in your collective past, and it is not your reality today.  Then take back your home.  Change the locks.  Repair any broken glass or furniture.  Then you and your 7 yo should walk around the outside and inside of the home, and talk about any safety issues you see.  Talk about ways that your home is safe, and then work together to shore up the home and make it safer.  And then move on to create new home rituals. Create consistency in your nighttime routine with a nice bath for her at night, reading a nice book, and maybe buy a nice nightlight for her...like a scented air freshener in a nice lavender scent that also acts as a nightlight.  I hope this helps.  God bless and good luck.

Answer 2

That is a tough one. I would talk to her pediatrician. She may need short term therapy to work through her fears. In the meantime you can let her do several different things. I had a similar experience and here is a list of everything that was done for me and my sisters:

1) If you cannot afford an alarm system make your own. Stack cans in front of all entry points (doors and windows)

2) Let her keep the hall light on all night for a week or so

3) let her sleep with her TV on all night.

4) let her sleep with you for awhile

5) a night light might help, but for me it just created weird shadows that scared me more

Hope something here works for her.

Answer 3

"3) let her sleep with her TV on all night. "Oh PLEASE do NOT allow your child to have a television in her room let alone having it on all night.  Televisions do not belong in children's bedrooms.  They interupt REM sleep and more often than not prevent it.  To a child REM sleep is very important.  A television in the bedroom contributs to sleep disorders and sleep deprivation in school aged children causing trouble in school, drop in grades as well as children falling asleep in class, at home they are more combative, less co operative.  So please don't have a television in her room.  I suggest that you enlist her aid in locking up and night and explaining to her just what those locks are for.  There are door and window alarms that don't cost a lot, are easily installed that you can find at Lowe's or Home Depot.  I know, because we have them on our doors and windows.  They have an alarm that sounds like a smoke alarm so they can be heard.  They have a switch that turns them on or off, I turn our's on every night.  I also have window locks so that windows can't be opened, again these can be found at any Lowe's or Home Depot.

Answer 4

This is a tough scenerio, but there are some things you can do;

1) Book an appointment with a therpaist to help her deal with these issues

2) Walk with her around the house, and lock every door and window

3) Buy a german shepherd; their good with kids, and will kill anyone who tries to harm their family

4) Put a nightlite in her room; that way she isnt sleeping in the dark

5) Have her draw whatever it is that's scaring her; it will help her verbalize and ease her fears

6) Install an alarm system in the house

7) Teach her that if she hears someone trying to break in, that she is to call 911

8) Maybe if you can enroll her in some sort of karate or self defence class

9) If anything of hers was stolen, buy her a new toy or whatever it is that was stolen.

Answer 5

Do a "house check" every night before bed (go through the house and make sure all doors are locked, windows closed/locked, etc) and let her go with you when you do it so she knows for certain that they are safe. Get a set of baby monitors and put one in her room and the reciever one in your room so you can hear her and if she gets scared, she can call to you through it. Install an alarm system in your home. Put up nightlights throughout the house (and especially in her room) so that it isn't dark. Leave the yardlight/porchlight on all night. Get a dog (even a small one will work) and let it sleep in her room. Talk to her and and see if she has any suggestions for feeling safer. Talk to a pediatrician or child psychologist about her fears. My heart goes out to you...I have never experienced a robbery, but I can only imagine how traumatized she must be...I hope things get better for you guys and that you never have to go through anything like this ever again...you could also maybe contact the local police and explain the situation and ask them if they could randomly do a drive by at night for a few weeks, as that might comfort her a little...good luck with this...just be patient with her and try to ease her fears...

Answer 6

Move house or get alarm system, surveillance camera. Surveillance cameras can be bought for about $100 nowadays.

Answer 7

You may want to speak to a therapist who can help ease her fears.

To clarify a bit was it a robbery(you were home at the time) or a burglary(not home). A robbery is going to be far more traumatic and she would probably need therapy to deal with it.

It is was a burglary, then simply making the house more secure could help. Even adults can feel as if their house is no longer safe when they have been a victim of a burglary. There is no need to go overboard, but possibly getting new locks, an alarm system, etc could make her feel more secure.

You want to make her feel more secure without causing her to be paranoid about robberies/burglaries. You can validate her feelings and implement measures to help her feel safe, but do not go overboard. Allowing her to sleep in your bed is telling her that she is not safe in her own, she needs to work through these feelings and see that she is safe(which is where professional help can come in handy)

Reassure her that you and her are safe, and there is nothing to worry about.