Storytelling with children during hard times

I’m pretty certain I’m taking refuge in the art and stories from my Tales - kind of escaping in my creating. I can’t even begin to fathom the pain, suffering and struggle people are experiencing from just what’s happened in the past month whether a natural disaster or people with guns. One thing I do know though, is that stories can help us talk about things with children in a way that they can grasp and process. Hopefully we keep our littles away from the news but they hear things and are very perceptive and intuitive people. Adding part of our reality to a story where the characters experience something hard and get through it can be very healing.
Another thing to remember is when you are creating a story and leave the imagery to the child, they will only imagine what is within their own personal boundaries. Maybe something is a little scary, but only as scary as they can handle. Give them an image of something scary and it can be way more than they are able to deal with or process. Does that make sense?
Most of the time storytelling is a delightful, light-filled experience. Sometimes it brings us into the dark and guides us back out with a safe, strong hand. Be courageous with your storytelling, use magic and give the children - and yourself - the belief that everything will be ok 💛