What a week it’s been! With the Newtown shootings still freshly on our minds, we were confronted with more horror on Monday as terrorists set off bombs in the crowd at the Boston Marathon.
What a week it’s been! With the Newtown shootings still freshly on our minds, we were confronted with more horror on Monday as terrorists set off bombs in the crowd at the Boston Marathon.
Earlier this week, I had planned to post a link to an outstanding blog I read about ending school violence. The author, Peter Brown Hoffmeister, is a high school teacher, outdoorsman, father and author of The End of Boys. But most importantly, he was a self-described troubled teen who could have shot school kids. He and I agree on the potential dangers of violent video games, especially when played by isolated young men.
Written in response to the Newtown tragedy, his blog is extremely important, and I highly recommend that you read it, especially if you are a parent of a boy. Click here to read his post.
So, this topic was on my mind when the Boston news broke on Monday.
Whether it’s a mass shooting at an elementary school or a bomb in the crowd at a sporting event, no doubt your children are affected. I feel it’s important that we help our kids process hard information.
Often we focus on praying for the victims or talk about what the next move for the government should be, forgetting that little eyes are watching and ears are hearing. As disturbing as the Boston chaos (or Newtown tragedy) has been for us, it can be worse for our children. So we can’t let them get lost in the shuffle.
To that end, I want to encourage parents to reach out to your kids and help them through this difficult time.
If your kids are in elementary school, I suggest doing the following:
1. Initiate conversation.
Don’t wait until they come to you. Kids are listening to the television and to their friends talking, so they are thinking about the bombings. Initiating discussion won’t put ideas or fears in their minds; talking them through will help alleviate their fears.
2. Use simple language.
When telling them about the tragedies, you can say that someone who is very disturbed set bombs off on innocent people. Don’t tell gory details but say that people were hurt and many are in the hospital.
3. Talk about good and bad.
It’s good to tell kids that there is evil in the world and people who do very bad things. You can’t sugar-coat this. However, tell them that there are far more good people. Talk to them about all of the thousands of folks who ran to help the victims and the others who opened their homes to house those who were stranded.
4. Give them something to do.
I always tell my kids to pray for those who are in trouble. Even young children need to participate in a solution. Asking them to pray helps them feel that they can make a difference. Also, this helps strengthen their own faith and helps them learn to pray reflexively when life is tough.