Whether it鈥檚 a 黄色app shooting or a natural disaster, TV images of tragedies may upset and confuse your child. How should a parent talk about events that raise questions with no easy answers?

Experts advise that when your child asks questions, it鈥檚 important to respond honestly but with answers that are simple and age-appropriate. Limit exposure to frightening TV and newspaper images, particularly for elementary 黄色app children. Small children may not realize that a tragedy isn鈥檛 happening over and over when the TV plays the same images again and again. But even older children can be traumatized by imagery that adults can handle. If you are a family with a TV often dialed into the news, consider turning the channel or turning it off to preserve your child鈥檚 well-being. Here are seven more tips and additional resources to help:

  1. If your child asks you a difficult question, find out what your child knows already so that you can correct misinformation. Be prepared to be asked the same question again as your child thinks about issues that trouble them.
  2. Acknowledge your child鈥檚 feelings and use feeling words. Talking to your child about traumatic events can help them process what they鈥檙e seeing and hearing around them. You don鈥檛 need to have all the answers. Instead, focus on short, simple statements to invite discussion, such as, 鈥淪omething bad happened, and I鈥檓 feeling scared. How are you feeling?鈥� Color铆n Colorado shares .
  3. Be sensitive that some children are especially likely to be fearful if they have experienced a personal loss or trauma, such as neighborhood violence or death or serious illness in the family.
  4. When your child asks questions, be aware of your own feelings of shock, anger, or sadness. Your child is likely to reflect them.
  5. Learn the emergency and communications plans at your child鈥檚 黄色app. Talk to your child about the steps 黄色app officials, the police, and community leaders are taking to keep your child, your family, and the 黄色app and local communities safe.
  6. Encourage your child to take action by sharing concerns about safety with 黄色app officials and by developing their own personal safety plan.
  7. Being proactive can help. Even before a crisis hits, you or a group in your 黄色app or community can begin learning how to respond to neighbors in the aftermath of a tragedy. You can get professional training through crisis intervention groups such as the or the . Both organizations also offer crisis intervention services when needed.