GREENSBORO, N.C. — Last week’s mass shooting in Raleigh left unanswered questions about how to stay safe. The shooting occurred in a residential area, where people should feel safe in their neighborhood.
With growing concerns about school shootings, and now in our neighborhoods, many parents are wondering how to have conversations with their children about safety without scaring them.
Parents need to have tough conversations about mass shootings in a world that have shown us that we aren’t safe anywhere and that children can be victims of senseless crimes. School-age children practice lockdowns at schools. This means that your children are exposed to safety measures at school and that it isn’t too early to have these tough conversations. Bite-size amounts of information as developmentally appropriate should be your guide.
A great way to start a conversation about mass shootings or mass violence in neighborhoods and communities is by talking about a recent event, such as the mass shooting in Raleigh. Ask your kids what they know about the shooting and gauge their feelings. And follow their lead. Younger kids want to know that they’ll be safe. And older kids will want to go one step further and focus on what can be done. In other words, they’ll want to know what can be done to prevent it from happening again.
When talking to your children, you want to emphasize being aware of their surroundings, including people. What stands out or doesn’t seem to fit? Developing observation skills at a young age is an important life skill. Your kids should respond to their intuition if something feels off or not correct. If you’re out in public as a family and happen to get separated, then develop a plan. Plan it out. When at a public event, point to an area to meet if you get separated. Point to people who your children can turn to for help. A separation plan is equally important for parents because many times, parents panic when they realize their children aren’t right beside them. The point is to help you and your to think instead of panic during a crisis.
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