Experts weigh in on how to talk to kids about mass shootings
Experts at the University of Missouri say it’s important to talk to children about the recent mass shootings.
ABC 17 News spoke with Dr. Brian Houston, the director of the MU Disaster and Community Crisis Center and professor of communications about behavior health and advice for teachers and parents to help children deal with disasters.
“Check in with your kids and ask them how they’re doing, and seeing if there’s anything on their mind that they want to talk about,” Houston said. “It’s important to talk to kids and let them speak openly about what they’re seeing and hearing from the media.” After the deadly mass shootings that took place this weekend in Texas and Ohio, having a discussion with young ones about how to cope with something so tragic might be difficult but, Houston says it’s okay to take it there. Houston said, “I think a lot of times parents or teachers think they’re going to make the situations worse by asking about it but kids are thinking about this, and they’re exposed to it. And when we don’t talk about it, we sort of send a message that this is something that we don’t talk about because you know it’s not appropriate to talk about or it’s too terrible that we don’t talk about it and that just reinforces a child’s worry.” Encourage dialogue: Encourage students to talk about their feelings and concerns with a trusted adult. Establish a sense of safety: Promote and enhance student safety, and provide emotional comfort and support. Develop coping skills: Help students identify and learn coping skills. Houston said, “You know share and sort of talk with them through some of their reactions, maybe they misunderstand some things because they’re young and you can kind of clarify what’s really going on that can often be helpful. So if they’re paying attention to media coverage of these events, and they’re worried about it they’re likely going to talk about it when you provide them that space.” Finding ways to help like sending cards or getting involved with organizations that are helping is a good way to cope. Also, reassure your kids that they’re safe. It helps interrupt that feeling of depression or anxiety. Doing something small is better than doing nothing at all, said Houston.
