April 2023

By: David Schonfeld, MD, FAAP After any disaster or crisis, families struggle with what they should say to children and how to help them cope. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents, teachers, child care providers, and others who work closely with children to filter information about the event and present it in a way that their child can understand, adjust to and handle in a healthy way. Where to start No matter what age or developmental stage your child is, you can...

There have been more mass shootings than days in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. As of February 14, 2023, the number of mass shootings in this country had reached 67. Mass shootings and school shootings may spark feelings of stress, grief and anxiety in children. Many students, including Kindergarteners as young as five years old, participate in active shooter drills at school. Their awareness of school shootings can lead to emotional conversations filled with complex questions.

Take an age-based approach to discussing news of school shootings with kids. "School shootings" are two words no parent ever wants to hear in the same sentence. But news of these tragic events is now so familiar, the topic is unavoidable. Unlike other conversations you have with your kids about scary stuff in the news , talks about school shootings are much more emotional, for both you and your kids. Add in the facts that kids as young as 5 are practicing active-shooter drills at school, and...