“You can tell them that most police are still willing to risk their life to protect them, but some police feel disrespected by those who want to ‘defund the police’, so they think twice about putting themselves in danger. “It’s especially scary for them to see that some police didn’t protect the children,” says Lieberman. Most important is to get them to express their feelings about these shootings – in words or in drawings or in pointing to emojis that express what they’re feeling.” Show Respect to Police Then come up with a plan for what might have been the best way to avoid getting hurt. Talk to them about the recent shooting in the news, and ask them what they would have done. “It’s important to help them cope with these feelings, so they don’t go on to develop agoraphobia, the fear of being away from home, especially anywhere there are groups of people – from a classroom to a street crowd. It makes them not want to go to school, stores, parades, or anywhere except their beds. The same goes for the Buffalo supermarket and Highland Park parade shootings. “As horrifying as news about school shooters is for adults, it’s a lot more horrifying for kids,” says Lieberman, “They imagine themselves inside the classroom in Oxford, Michigan when Ethan Crumbley came in or in Uvalde, Texas when Salvador Ramos came in, and feel terrified and helpless. A parent can validate a child’s feelings by helping them make a plan of action for scary situations. Carole Lieberman specializes in helping kids cope with “living in a time of terror.” The author of Lions and Tigers and Terrorists, Oh My! How to Protect Your Child in a Time of Terror says that a child’s fears are greater than an adult’s. How do children experience news of shootings? Psychiatrist Dr. Parents should be prepared to validate a child’s feelings, answer hard questions, and reassure them that such shootings almost never happen, despite what they hear on the news. Not to mention, children will hear about these events and can experience anxiety or fear. As a parent, you worry about your child’s safety. The list of recent mass shootings seems endless. Uvalde, Highland Park, a supermarket in Buffalo, a mall in Indiana.
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