When tragedy strikes, please be cautious how much of the news you take in around your children. We advise that children who are not of age to understand violence and tragedy (and really, who among us does understand it), can be insulated from the news as long as parents and caretakers shield them from the information.

Obviously, at the speed of communication, many of our teens, pre-teens, and adult family members will have seen/heard about the violence and we should take care to console one another in the face of tragic events. For younger kids, there is no need to watch/listen to reports of violence in front of them.

If they hear about the tragedy, take time to explain with child-appropriate wording.

If you, a family member, a loved one, or a child are experiencing difficulty in response to tragedy in the news, we have staff available to help you manage traumatic stress reactions.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Here are some guides and videos put together by the Sesame Street Workshop.

This is a great post from PBS Parents about listening and responding to your kids about what they know about world events and news.

This resource from the American Psychological Association was created in response to school shootings.

Written by Tim Doty, Psy.D.