In the Wake of Boston: Easing Children's Fears

Virginia Tech. 9/11. New Town. Boston. The list can go on of violent tragedies that our nation has faced. These events are hard for adults to comprehend, and it's difficult to manage our emotions. Anger, sadness, fear are all normal adult responses. But what about our kids?

At my house, we do not watch the news because I do not want to expose my three year old to violence, murder, etc. I want her to maintain her innocence as long as possible. The world will take it soon enough.

But older kids, despite our best efforts to shield them, may be exposed to these events at school, on TV, or on social media or the web. They will be impacted and they will have a reaction to the violence. According to Greg Peters, the CEO of United Methodist Family Services and a licensed clinical social worker, the reaction can vary but usually there is confusion, sadness, fear and maybe not really understanding what happened.

For those kids that have been exposed, he advises to check in with them and ask how they are feeling. Start a dialog about what happened and ease their fears if you can.

If a child doesn't start to overcome the fear and anxiety and begins having things like stomach aches, head aches or other out of the norm reactions, he or she may need professional help to work through the fear. Often times Greg says that a traumatic event like the bombing at the Boston Marathon can trigger a child to think about other trauma they may have suffered, such as the loss of a loved one.

So in this turbulent and ugly world we are living in right now, hug your children tight, limit their exposure to the news if you can, and talk to them about events if they have questions.