Oh, how I wish this wasn’t something that needed to be posted. Unfortunately, we’ve seen yet another violent attack take innocent lives and injure countless others. Right now, if you’re a caregiver or teacher, you have a couple of choices. You can drown in the social media and television coverage of the events, or you can carefully curate what your children have access to, and mediate the exposure you can’t control (for older kids). Please don’t make the mistake of assuming that if your child can handle violence on television or video games, or if they are older, that they can process this tragic event on their own without mediation from a loving caregiver or teacher. The National Association of School Psychologists put out this great informational memo recently that gives tips on how to address school violence with children and teens, and with some modification, it is relevant to this tragedy. Please take the time to read and share this so that we can minimize the negative impact this tragedy will have on our young people. Above all, reassure your kids that they are safe, talk to them in developmentally appropriate ways about the event, listen to what they have to say, and get away from the screens. This afternoon is a great time to play a game together, make some art, or just sit and talk. My heart goes out to all those affected by this senseless violence.
edspiration.net 