Today this happened. I can’t wrap my head around it. The evil and sadness is just to overwhelming to comprehend. If me, a 34-year old adult can’t grasp the reality of this, how is a young child suppose to?
How to Talk to Your Kids About a Tragedy
Our TVs are not on right now. The coverage is non-stop on the local and news channels and I just don’t want my kids to hear about this.
A few years ago, our daughter was watching TV innocently with a relative and news coverage of the tsunami was on. She PANICKED. While we lived no where near water, she was afraid of the lakes. It was tragic and hated that she feared while we were no where near harms way. With something as tragic as a school shooting, I can’t even imagine what Monday morning would be like.
I came across this quote today (Thanks Josh and Chris Jagger) from the wonderful Mr. Rogers. Leave it to him to provide insightful advice.
Mr. Rogers Words of Wisdom
While us adults immediately focus on the tragedy and loss of today’s events. Children just can’t comprehend that. Here is the quote from Mr. Rogers that I thought was so wise and perfect for this time.
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world. – Mr. Rogers