Coping with a Tragedy

Parents may be a little confused about what to do after the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, since it happened on a college campus. After all, other recent school shootings, like at Columbine, happened at high schools, so there was a more direct link to their younger children.

Still, with all of the news coverage and copycat threats at colleges, high schools, and middles schools in 9 states, there is a good chance that your older schoolage children and teens know about the shootings and will need to talk about it.

Remember that whether it is a school shooting, natural disaster, such as an earthquake, tsunami or hurricane, or a terrorist bombing, special attention must be paid to our children to help them cope and understand what has happened.

More:

• Coping with a Tragedy
• Talking to Kids about the News
• Teens and Stress
• AAP Coping Resources
• The Virginia Tech Massacre

_{Photo (c) Roberta Osborne}