This month has been beyond emotionally tumultuous in the United States. Not even two weeks after the tragedy in Buffalo, NY, an elementary school has been devastated by gun violence. It’s a worst nightmare for anyone – parents, students, educators. Parents everywhere are horrified, angry, and confused, as to why this is still happening. And not only do parents have to deal with their own emotions about what has happened, but they also have to figure out what to tell their kids! And sadly, this is not the first time the Digging Deep Project has written about something like this. Last year, Dr. Kristi Pikiewicz wrote about talking to kids after the shooting in the King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado… her neighborhood grocery store.
We wanted to share some resources for those dealing with grief due to gun violence – because many of us are grieving this tragedy from all over the country – as well as resources on how to talk to your kids about it. We hope you find these helpful, and if you have any resources you would like to share with other parents, don’t hesitate to share those in the comments below.
Talking to kids about it:
– CBS Mornings and Child Mind Institute
Earlier today, Dr. Jamie Howard with the Child Mind Institute shared advice on how parents can talk to their kids about the mass shooting in Texas on CBS Mornings.
Child Mind Institute also shared this article on their website to help guide parents through the anxiety their kids may be feeling about returning to school. How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings is also available in Spanish here.
– NPR.org
NPR.org shared this interview with Melissa Brymer, the director of terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. Read the article here.
– Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media shares this blog about how you can take an age-based approach to discussing news of school shootings with kids.
– National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
Helping Children Cope With Terrorism – Tips for Families and Educators
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
For working through your own grief:
– American Psychological Association (APA)
Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting
– MPRNews
Coping with prolonged grief over George Floyd, mass shootings and the pandemic (a podcast).
– Today.com
– If you are a parent that is in need of emotional support right now:
Call the National Parent Helpline at 1-855-4A PARENT (1-855-427-2736) to get emotional support from a trained Advocate. They are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lacey is a social media content creator, illustrator, and animator for the mental health game Shadow’s Edge. She spends a lot of time talking with players and followers across the game’s social media accounts to better understand how to make the game better for getting through challenges and frequently participates in the game development process. She also hosts and organizes monthly webinars for the Digging Deep Project to share mental health information and resources. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A in Animation in 2017 and strives to make the world a more kind and human place with her skills she learned there. Because as Dr. Suess said – “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better – it’s not!”
Read more about Lacey at www.laceyvernon.com
