If you have decided to talk to your kids about the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, chances are your already have.
I, for one, have decided to shield my children from this horrific news in every way possible. They are already under enough stress and anxiety over our upcoming move and around school that there is absolutely no need to add to that. Furthermore, I don’t think that my children, ages 6 and 3, could properly process such horror and evil, especially as I struggle to cope with it myself.
I may discuss what happened with them later… Weeks from now? Years from now? Just NOT now.
I’ve kept the televisions in the house strictly on kids’ programming, limited conversation with other adults, and have read instead of watched/listened to coverage. We live far enough away from Connecticut that I am fairly confident that no one else will be talking about it on the playground.
I refuse to believe that I’m “burying my head in the sand”. I’m simply making the best decision from my family in light of our situation and I respect the decision you have made in light of yours.
However, if you are still trying to decide if (and how) to address the Newtown school shooting with you children. Here are some wonderful insights on how from some of the most amazing bloggers/parents/educators and resources that will help you find the words (or not):
Kristen Howerton of Rage Against the Minivan offers five things to consider before talking to your kids about today’s tragedy
Here are some of the questions I’ve been asking myself today, and I thought I would write them out to help myself process, and also in the hopes that it can help some of you as you consider if and how you will talk to your kids… [read more]
TechSavvyMama- Leticia Barr give sensible advice on how to prepare for your kids’ questions in Sandy Hook School Tragedy: Helpful Tips for Talking to Your Kids
Here are some questions that might come up in your home and ways that I will address them- from the perspective of a parent and educator- with my family when we discuss what happened…[read more]
Jessica Gottlieb urges parents to let their innocent children stay that way for a bit longer in her post, Parenting Through Tragedy and a 24 Hour News Cycle
There will be debates about this, there will be stories about how to talk to your children in the wake of a tragedy. There will be debates about gun control and body armor. Surely it will devolve in to a political bit of mudslinging that everyone will find distasteful and then the nation will forget. Newtown Connecticut will remember but the rest of us will move into the holiday season and shop with aplomb… [read more]
Explaining the News to Out Kids from Common Sense Media offers differing advice on how to appropriately address the shootings based on your kids’ ages.
Shootings, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, end-of-the-world predictions — even local news reports of missing kids and area shootings — all of this can be upsetting news even for adults, much less kids. In our 24/7 news world, it’s become nearly impossible to shield kids from distressing current events…[read more]
Parenting coach, radio host, and registered nurse from the Bay Area, Rona Renner, did an interview on Bay- Area KQED Radio shortly after hearing about the brutal shooting in Newtown.
Around the Bay Area this evening, children are arriving home from school. And no doubt many are asking questions and voicing fears about today’s mass killing at a Connecticut elementary school. As a parent, what do you say? How do you talk about a tragedy no one can explain…[read more]
Slate’s Emily Yaffe put the question of How To Talk to Your Kids About the School Shooting to Dr. Alan E. Kazdin, director of the Yale Parenting Center.
But if your child has heard, wants to know what happened, or is worried something like this is going to happen at his or her school, Kazdin says to respond honestly but cryptically. Use simple, declarative, age-appropriate sentences, like “Someone came into a school and hurt some children. We don’t know why.” Then you can comfort your children… [read more]
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