Another horrific event has occurred, and it will dominate the news and social media for days and weeks.
Except for the very youngest children, you won’t likely succeed in sheltering them from it. They will seek to understand what they see and hear, trying to put it into the context of what they know about the normal and expected.
The amount of information children need from parents in such situations differs depending on the child and, of course, his or her age. Here are a few resources to help talk with your children about recent news of school violence.
- Blog post from The Hanna Perkins Grandmothers: Some insight into the questions children really have – though they may have trouble finding the right words. And how to answer those questions simply and lovingly.
- Another perspective by Shari Nascon on talking to your kids when they hear of tragic news that in some way hits close to home.
- Fred Rogers’ advice on how to talk about tragic events in the news: An excerpt from Mr. Rogers’ last book before his 2003 death, offering practical suggestions for helping your children navigate news of the tragedy.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
6
DEC
2015
DEC
2015
About the Author:
Bob Rosenbaum manages the website and other communications functions for Hanna Perkins Center.