In the face of unspeakable tragedy like the school shootings at Uvalde, many of us are wondering how we can explain this to our children. You are also probably wrestling with why this happened, as well, and your search for answers is part of your grief. Whatever you are feeling, it’s OK. Your feelings are not right or wrong—they simply are. Accepting your emotions and finding constructive ways to express them, bit by bit, day by day, are how you can best work through your grief. Create space for your feelings before you open the door for questions.
At Imagine, we believe in the importance of telling children the truth. Adults often believe that the truth should be hidden in order to protect their children; yet children can sense when a change has occurred. Concealing information can produce anxiety but being honest allows children to put an accurate name to the change rather than have it be an unspoken and scary unknown. In order to help facilitate this honest and difficult conversation, the Imagine staff put together a toolkit on how to talk to children about tragedy.
If you have further questions about this, please reach out to us at 908-264-3100 to be connected to a member of our program staff.
To learn more about Imagine, and how you can help our children and families, schedule a tour today.