Mental toughness expert shares tips for communicating with kids under threat of coronavirus

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Former US Marine: How to help kids cope in uncertain times

Mental toughness expert Eric Rittmeyer shares tips for handling our kids' emotions during a nationwide crisis

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Kids living at home under threat of coronavirus deserve accurate information based on their level of understanding, a "mental toughness" expert said Saturday.

During the health crisis, parents need to remain calm, keep developing trust with their children and listen closely to their emotions, Eric Rittmeyer said on "Fox & Friends Weekend."

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"We can't talk about this with a 5-year-old the same way we're going to talk about this with a 15-year-old," he said. "So we have to get them to understand that what they're feeling is OK. It's just a matter of how they address those feelings and where those feelings originate from."

According to Education Week, at least 124,000 schools have shuttered over COVID-19 fears, impacting at least 55 million students nationwide.

"It's a scary time for kids right now," said Rittmeyer, an author and former Marine. "They're seeing schools closed. There's no food on the shelves. People are dying. It's our job as parents to make certain we're the front line of defense -- that they're getting good information."

Rittmeyer also told host Pete Hegseth that it's important to pay attention to the questions kids are asking.

"Let's answer those questions, but let's stop once we answer the question and see if it brings up more questions for them and not try to explain quantum physics to them, if that's not what they need to know," he said. "It's addressing what they're feeling, making certain that they feel like these emotions are real -- 'Mom and Dad understand my emotions, we're going to address them' -- but we're also preparing them for later in life when they deal with difficult situations."

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Rittmeyer noted that while you shouldn't "open up the can" of troubling virus facts unless it's necessary, "this is where we rely on our relationship with our kids. We have that trust built with them."

"We can't freak out. We can't appear to be totally despondent and with our hair up in the air running around crazy," he said. "They're going to look to us for guidance."