When a horrific event happens, again and again, what do we tell our children?
The sinking feeling is all too familiar: When mass shootings occur, parents have to figure out how to talk to their children about violence.
There’s no one way to address tragedies with children, and how parents approach it depends both on the child’s age and temperament. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend avoiding the topic with children until they reach a certain age — around 8, but again, it depends on the child.