(WXYZ) — Another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in Texas, has left 19 children and two adults dead on Tuesday.
It comes just days before a tragic anniversary in metro Detroit, as Monday marks the six-month anniversary of the shooting at Oxford High School that killed four students.
In the wake of the shooting, parents may be wondering how to talk to their children.
We spoke with Dr. Molly O'Shea from Birmingham Pediatrics to get helpful tips from her. Below you'll see her answers to our questions. (Answers have been edited for length and clarity)
What’s your advice for the Oxford community?
I think it’s important for parents, teachers and students in Oxford to recognize that it’s absolutely normal to feel a lot of the feelings they experienced right around the time of their tragedy to resurface. To acknowledge those feelings, to talk about them, to seek support for the feelings they have.
For parents, if their student feels a little or even if they don’t, bringing it up is not going to reopen a wound.
It’s going to allow their child to talk about their feelings that they may be afraid to bring up because people around them feel like they’re “over it.”
Should parents have conversations with kids?
I think it depends on child’s age and awareness of what’s going on. Younger children don’t really need to be aware of all of this.
If your child’s in elementary school, they’re not going to be able to understand that this is happening far away, that they themselves are safe where they are, so bringing it up doesn’t have a lot of bang for your buck. But if they are aware of it, definitely talk through it.
For older kids, they’re definitely going to be aware of it. I think bringing it up is your opportunity to help them work through their feelings.
One of the important things parents can do is to make sure that whatever feelings get brought up, you don’t diminish them. Instead, honor that feeling, say “yeah, I can understand that,” or “I might be scared too. Let’s talk about how we make you feel safer.”
