Many of those injured in the shooting in Kansas City near a Super Bowl celebration on Wednesday were children and this is sure to have an impact on them and others across the country. So, what can parents do?
“Different kids are built differently. Some children might have an immediate response. Some children might have a delayed response,” Dr. Rob Keder, a pediatrician with Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, said.
A child’s age plays a big role in the trauma they might face after Wednesday’s shooting, he said.
“Younger children might make some more magical connections and think that they maybe caused something whereas older children might have more typical anxiety and worry,” he said.
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He says the whiplash of going from a cheerful celebration to a scary turn of events will cause confusion and parents should approach conversations delicately with the very young.
“The world can be a really scary place, and what we want to do is find that sweet spot of how much do you need to know right now and how much is OK to know later,” he said.
Teenagers, Dr. Keder says, may know more than parents thanks to smartphones and social media. He suggests lending an ear to understand through their eyes.
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“If things sound a little bit confusing, it's an opportunity to talk about how sometimes when news is breaking, we're getting news, but we don't have the complete story yet,” he said.
Dr. Keder says for parents themselves, don’t be afraid to take a deep breath and process what’s going on yourself before talking with your child.
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