Friday, December 14, 2012--5:30p.m.
MADISON--If you've got kids, chances are they will hear about today's school shooting--if they haven't already.
When you're young it can be hard to understand what's happened, some may even worry about such an event happening here.
So as a parent, the challenge is to acknowledge the tragedy, while also not over-burdening your children with anxiety.
We spoke with a local school psychologist about what you should and shouldn't do the next couple of days. She said it is important to talk with your kids about what's happened--don't ignore the shooting--but also don't let them watch endless amounts of television coverage. "Kids don't understand that they're seeing a, oftentimes they don't even see that they're seeing the same event being repeated so they just keep thinking that it's happening," said Margot Fischer, a psychologist for the Madison Metropolitan School District. "So limiting their exposure, talking to them about it but not letting them watch this over and over. The TVs are going to be full of it right now and that's just not something kids need to be watching."
Fischer said you should be honest with your kids about your emotions, but you should also model some level of strength and let them know you're taking care of them.
As for how Madison schools will be reaching out to students, we're told that they always have support people in the buildings. They also plan to have staff available on Monday to talk with any kids that are really struggling with this event.
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