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Texas school shooting: Talking with kids
The recent events in Uvalde weigh heavy on all of us, and that can include children. Though younger children may not fully know what happened, they’re perceptive, especially with news on this everywhere.
UVALDE, Texas - The recent events in Uvalde weigh heavy on all of us, and that can include children.
Though younger children may not fully know what happened, they’re perceptive, especially with news on this everywhere. There are ways to help deal with what can be a stressful, scary situation for them.
It’s the first instinct for many parents after hearing about the many young children in Uvalde who didn’t make it home:
"One of the first things I did was give my 6-year-old a really big hug when he got off the bus," said Lauren Beverung, assistant professor at Milwaukee School of Engineering. "If an elementary school child hears about other children their age who were killed in a school shooting, that can be a sense of trauma for a child."
Robb Elementary School (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Beverung, with a background in psychology, says it’s important to be honest with children and keep it simple. They may not need all the details, but they do need your support.
"Regardless of what you say and who you’re saying it to, the age group, that’s really the core, that you’re getting them to feel safe and secure," said Beverung.
She also said you want to be perceptive. If your child is drawing inward or says they have a stomachache, for example, those could be signs of an emotional response.
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Memorial in front of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"See if they have questions. See what information they have about the incident before providing them more information than they need," said Jenny Walczak, clinical director of mental and behavioral health at Children's Wisconsin.
Walczak said it’s also important to make sure you’re in an OK headspace first.
"Making sure we are reaching out to those that support us and finding ways to process what has happened ourselves," said Walczak.
"It really comes down to making sure people have coping mechanisms to deal with this," said Beverung. "Having a really warm and supportive and sensitive caregiver is probably the most important thing."
Vigil outside National Rifle Association headquarters following shooting at Robb Elementary School (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Beverung pointed to a study, saying it shows 42% of mass shooters had some sort of adverse childhood experience, or ACE – things like neglect, abuse or violence.
"This was a troubled person, and I don’t know their history --there’s still a lot that’s unknown -- but if we as a society can start to support children and removing these ACEs before they happen or mitigating them, giving children coping skills, we’re going to see a lot less of these physical and psychological illnesses as they get older," she said.