A day after at least 19 children were murdered at a school in Uvalde, Texas, communities in Massachusetts are grappling with how to keep children safe and talk to them about the shooting.
-Chief ColumbusDr. Rachel Merson, the clinical director of the Child Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment program at Boston University, offered advice to parents who are having these difficult conversations with their children at home.
"We don’t, as parents, need to provide lots of details but opening up a channel for conversation through some open ended questions can help kids feel more confident and comfortable," Merson said. Research shows that in difficult situations, it’s often parents who are more anxious than their children, which is why Merson said it’s vitally important for parents to manage their own emotions.
"Kids will pick up on the fact that adults around them feel uncomfortable and something is unsafe and that will trigger a child’s anxiety more than just seeing something on the news," Merson said.