Moms Talk: Sharing Connecticut Tragedy with Your Kids

It is every parent’s worst nightmare.

You slide a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the lunch box, help your child find his shoes and drop him off at school with a kiss. You go home, pour yourself a cup of coffee, check a few e-mails, feed the dog, throw a load of laundry in the washer and wonder what you’ll make for dinner. You trip over a few toys on your way upstairs, recite your to-do list and get ready to hop in the shower.

And then the phone rings. Suddenly, the to-do list, the scattered toys and the dirty laundry does not matter anymore. Because your life has been turned upside down.

What unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday was nothing short of horrific. It has left a nation reeling, aching, questioning. Too many little lives gone too soon. Injustice. Fury. Grief.

Like most mothers, I was going about my business Friday morning when my husband called to tell me the news. The tears came in a flood, fogging up my glasses as I headed down the 405 freeway. Tears for children and parents I did not know, but I could only imagine their pain. I checked the time on the car radio: 11:42 a.m. Too soon to pick up my precious kiddos. Yet I was tempted to rush to the school, grab them and pull them home to safety. The hours ticked by until pick-up arrived, and I watched the news, riveted, sick to my stomach.  Then I wiped my tears and pulled up to the school, never so relieved in all my life to see my children.

“Are you OK, Mom?” my 11-year-old son, always perceptive, asked as he hopped in the car.

“Something happened today,” I blurted out. “Something very bad. We need to pray for some kids in Connecticut and pray for their families, too. But don’t worry, you’re going to be okay. …” The words came in a flood, along with a fresh set of tears. Immediately, I worried I’d said too much. I glanced in the rear view mirror, where my 7-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter sat stoically, their eyes trained straight ahead.

“What happened, Mom?” my older son pressed.

“A man shot some kids at a school.” Again, the words flew out of my mouth, and I felt sick. “You’re going to be okay, though. Nothing is going to happen to you, OK?” My words sounded flimsy, pathetic, as they hung in the air. Just shut up, I told myself. Your kids don’t need to know any more.

I thought of my daughter, already having difficulty sleeping after a mountain lion sighting in our area over the summer. What had I just done?

No one said much on the ride home. I locked myself in my room and flipped on the news, sobbed, surfed the Internet and watched the horror unfold. God, what do I tell my kids? Will they find out from their friends? I don’t want them to live in fear, and I don’t want to live in fear myself. I’ve got to get a grip.

In a word that seems to be crumbling under increasing calamity, it can be difficult as a parent to not be overwhelmed with fear. There are tornadoes, hurricanes, car accidents, rare diseases and men who storm kindergarten classrooms and do the unthinkable. How do we send our children off into the big, bad world every day, knowing that so much potential harm lurks everywhere?

“I’m just going to pull my kids out of school and homeschool them,” one blogger wrote. “Then they’ll be safe from this crazy world.”

“I’m just glad I’m never having kids,” said another blogger. “Then I’ll never have to worry about these sorts of things.”

I understand these sentiments. But for those of us who do have kids, do we place them in bubble wrap and barricade them inside for the rest of their lives? Certainly, life must go on. But how? What precautions should we take? And just how much should we reveal to our kids about what happened on December 14?

The co-hosts on The View discussed the Sandy Hook tragedy this morning. Sherri Shepherd shared that she kept her television off to shield her young son and has yet to talk to him about the tragedy. Elisabeth Hasselbeck shared that her daughter had unfortunately heard the news of the events from a young friend and had learned much more than Hasselbeck planned to share with her.

When Barbara Walters asked her how other parents should deal with talking to their kids about this tragedy, Hasselbeck said she thought parents should sit with their kids and explain that these matters were “family talk, not recess talk.” She admitted it can be difficult, as “we have to be strong for our kids.”

Robin Gurwitch, a clinical psychologist and member of the American Psychological Association Disaster Response Network, said that the most important thing parents can do in the event of tragedy is to hug their kids and assure them they are safe. She said parents need to avoid thinking they should “protect” their kids by not talking about the tragedy.

“It’s important to start the conversation. If you have a child who is involved with social media in any way, shape or form, they know about it,” she said. “Even the youngest kids could have heard something on the school bus.”

Gurwitch said that parents need to start the conversation by finding out how much their child already knows, perhaps by saying something like, “Have you heard about what happened in Connecticut at the elementary school?” From there, they will have the opportunity to gently correct any misinformation the child may have heard about the events. It is also important, she said, to reinforce a sense of safety and security. She recommends limiting exposure to the news and being mindful of adult conversation that kids might eavesdrop on.

Other experts agree, saying avoiding the subject is not the answer. Kids will talk about the events, no matter how young, as they did in Hasselbeck’s daughter’s case. Much like the birds and the bees talk, it is important that parents set the facts straight before information becomes misconstrued.  Talking about it also gives parents and children an opportunity to grow closer and share other feelings they may have been holding inside, as well as an opportunity to show compassion toward others.

Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Albany school district superintendent, encourages parents to listen for signs of worry and fear. She recommends parents reassure children they are safe by locking the doors in front of them and giving them extra hugs.

Health expert Dr. Steve O’Brien says that children who have struggled with anxiety in the past may become more anxious. “But you also want to highlight how the grown-ups in their environment can keep them safe,” he said. He recommends explaining any security features that are in place at a child’s school to reassure them. For older kids, he suggests doing some research online with them to help them see that these tragic events are essentially a very rare occurrence.

I don’t believe I handled things perfectly with my kids. I plan to continue the conversation with them today and throughout the weeks to come. We will continue to pray for the victims as a family and think of other ways we can help. And I will choose to not live in fear, as difficult as it may be.

My daughter is in a school play today, and though it was difficult to send her to school, I know I did the right thing. And so I will put on my red Christmas scarf, grab my camera and go cheer her on. And when she’s done, I’ll give her an extra long hug. And maybe one more for good measure.

Parents, how has this tragedy affected you? What have you said to your kids, if anything, about the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School? How do you deal with fear yourself, and how do you help comfort your child during such horrific events? 

We want to hear from you!