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As headlines flash across screens and unfamiliar sounds spark anxious questions about regional tensions, many families in Dubai are finding themselves having conversations they never expected.

Last week, schools across the UAE shifted to distance learning. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education announced that Spring Break would now run from March 9 to 22 instead of the previously scheduled March 16 to 27.

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For children, the sudden change in routine has raised more questions than answers.

“Are we safe?”
“Are those fireworks?”
“When will schools open?”

For parents, the challenge is not just explaining events — but doing so calmly.

Safety is both felt and understood

Dr Neil Hopkin, director of education at Fortes Education in Dubai, says the starting point is emotional security.

“Our first responsibility is ensuring children feel safe, not just objectively safe, but perceived safety,” he said. He stressed that reassurance should not dismiss children’s fears, adding that the best approach is not a breezy 'Everything's fine’ but talking through the worrying news with open, confident, truthful information.”

Dr Hopkin explained that children can construct “whole narratives from single images and sounds", and without adult guidance, those narratives can spiral.

Even with distance learning, connection remains key. “Whether asynchronous or online, the most important thing is maintaining connectedness,” he said, noting that classrooms and school relationships remain protective factors, even through a screen.

Late-night talks and teenage questions

For Gurleen Arora, the past week has meant more thoughtful conversations with her 16-year-old daughter.

“I’ve been talking to my daughter quite a bit, and I’ve noticed she and her friends are discussing the current situation among themselves too,” she said. “At 16, she understands far more than we sometimes realise. She reads the news, she asks questions, and she wants honest answers.”

Arora highlights that solidarity within the community has helped. “Our community has really come together during this time. There’s a strong sense of togetherness,” she said, adding that she keeps reminding her daughter that “this is just a phase, and like Covid, it will pass.”

Having grown up in a country (referring to her home country) that also experienced bouts of uncertainty, Arora says perspective makes a difference. “Most importantly, we genuinely feel safe here,” she said, explaining that the UAE’s long-standing stability allows her to reassure both her daughter and herself.

“Can I go out and play?”

For parents of younger children, the questions are simpler — but often repeated.

Elena Rusu says her 10-year-old son keeps circling back to the same concerns. “These conversations have been difficult… he keeps asking me, ‘What’s happening?’ and ‘Can I go out and play?' she said.

For him, it is less about geopolitics and more about missed routines. “He just knows his routine has changed,” Rusu explained. With playground visits to some extent paused and tennis and swimming classes cancelled, the disruption feels personal.

During online classes, she has overheard children discussing “loud booms” and the sound of “jets” overhead. She tries to simplify things. “I try to explain in simple words that things are a bit tense and we need to be careful for a few days,” she said. “He nods, but after a while he asks again, hoping the answer will be different.”

Like many parents, she says the task is staying steady even without perfect clarity. “As a parent in this region, right now, you’re trying to stay calm and practical, even when you don’t have all the answers yourself.”

The power of a calm adult

Meanwhile, school leaders also emphasised that children’s questions are often a search for reassurance.

Anitha Blessie Rozario, Head of Inclusion, Woodlem Park Al Hamidiya Private School, said, 'When children ask questions like "Are we safe?"' or ‘What was that noise?’ They are often seeking reassurance more than information,” she said. Responding calmly and simply, she added, helps children feel protected.

Rozario noted, “As Donald Winnicott observed, ‘What a child needs most is the reliable presence of a calm adult.’ In uncertain moments, a parent’s steady reassurance and emotional availability can help children feel secure and protected.”

Borrowed calm

Dubai-based life coach Girish Hemnani says children absorb emotional cues long before they grasp facts.

“Children do not process conflict the way adults do. Their nervous system reads safety primarily through the emotional signals of the carers around them,' he reiterates. When adults appear panicked or constantly consume alarming news, children internalise that stress.

For younger children, he suggests simple, contained reassurance: “The situation is far away, and the adults here are making sure we stay safe.” Teenagers, meanwhile, benefit from open conversations that also build critical thinking about sensational or graphic content online.

Hemnani cautions that anxiety may surface physically — irritability, clinginess, sleep issues or stomach aches. Restoring everyday rhythms — shared meals, play, movement and predictable school schedules — helps recalibrate a child’s system.

“A calm, grounded parent is often the most powerful reassurance a child can receive,” he said.

When to seek extra support

Dr Renuka Ramasamy, a specialist in family medicine at International Modern Hospital, points out that continuous exposure to alarming headlines activates the body’s stress response.

“This increases cortisol and adrenaline levels, which are helpful short term but harmful when sustained. Children express anxiety differently from adults. Normal worry is usually temporary and situational.

“Online schooling and disrupted routines can amplify insecurity. Maintaining structure, predictable schedules, and daily check-ins helps mitigate escalation.”

She advises parents to monitor changes such as persistent sleep disturbances, unexplained physical complaints, withdrawal from activities, regression, excessive reassurance seeking, or declining participation in school — even online. If symptoms last more than two weeks or significantly impair daily functioning, professional evaluation is recommended.

Simple strategies can help: a ‘digital sunset' by stopping news consumption 60–90 minutes before bed, maintaining fixed sleep routines, and practising grounding exercises like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to redirect anxious thoughts.

“Families benefit from structure, controlled media exposure, and open communication,” she said. “When symptoms exceed coping capacity, timely professional guidance ensures recovery and resilience.”