As America comes to grips with yet another school shooting, parents are faced with explaining the tragedy to their children. Laura Saunders, PsyD, from the Institute of Living appeared on Fox 61, NBC-CT and WFSB last week to offer advice for parents on discussing the Parkland, Fla., shooting with their kids following the shooting.
“For young children, we really need to shield them from as much information as possible. For older kids, we have to provide factual information. There is a lot of uncertainty. [They might ask] why would someone do this? And there are a lot of things we don’t have answers to,” Saunders told NBC-CT. “We need to provide assurances not promises. Assurances that our schools are doing the best they can to keep you safe, and first responders — police and firefighters — do their best to take care of us.”
Saunders urges parents not to project their anxiety while discussing the tragedy with their children and to remind them that school shootings are low probability events. She said one of the best ways for parents and children to cope with tragedies like this is to lean on one another for support.
“It is very much a here we go again sentiment. It can be re-traumatizing for some people. It’s a very difficult and painful time in our history,” Saunders said. “We need to focus on a way to soothe ourselves. I can guarantee you that if we focus on all of the negative things that are happening, it’s not going to soothe us.”
• WFSB: https://youtu.be/bZp_GtIMaCs
• NBC-CT: https://youtu.be/fr9mEq-w56E
• Fox 61: https://youtu.be/jlxGlD2ANIA