JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A gunman opened fire in a Connecticut elementary school Friday, killing more than two dozen people, including 20 students. As a parent, how do you explain a tragedy like this to your kids and reassure them it's safe to return to school?
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers this advice when talking to your children about an incident like this:
1) Take into account the age of the child and provide basic information without offering details that may only alarm them.
2) Ask your children what they already know and answer questions.
3) Reassure them that they are safe.
"Parents need to remember that the first thing they should do is to send their children to school. Monday will be the safest day you could ever be in a school in this country because there's going to be a heightened awareness and heightened security measures. So that's critical. We saw waves of children stay home after Columbine, we don't want to see that now," says National School Safety & Security Services President, Kenneth Trump.
Experts say its important to help children get back to their regular routine.
There is a non-profit website setup to help parents talk to their children about these issues. It's called the
National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
