HARTFORD–One of the scariest things after anther mass shooting for parents is how to discuss the world events with their children. Of even if they should talk to their children, especially younger ones, about the topic.
Dr. Laura Saunders from the Institute of Living says that parents know their kids, and to judge their response based on what’s appropriate.
As for if parents should bring it up first, from a developmental standpoint Saunders says, “For young children we try as much as possible to shield them from what’s going on.
But what if your child comes to you? “There will be some ancillary talk, they’ll hear it at school, they’ll hear it at other places, so if kids ask the question you try to answer it in a simple, non-inflammatory manner.”
Saunders even provided an example for parents if their child comes home and says they heard there was a shooting in California and then asks what happened, which is quite an open-ended question. She advised keeping it basic, and saying something along the lines of: “There were some bad people that hurt other people, but here we do our best to keep to see you safe, and your school does its best to keep you safe.”
As for the difference between younger and older children, Saunders said it can be much more difficult to shield children the older they get. Older children have more access to information, whether it’s at school, online, on social media or on TV. So parents should be wary that in some way, an older child is likely to get information.
What she said to look out for is the type of information they receive. Many sources that children may hear news from could put it in an inflammatory or speculative light, avoiding the facts that your child needs to know in favor of the sensationalized tidbits.
One last piece of advice that Saunders had was to prepare your children much like schools do with fire drills, but avoid promising that a similar event could never happen to them. Instead, assure them that they are safe and that it is very unlikely, and then ask direct questions to open up a dialogue on the topic so your child feels more open to ask questions.
