How will you tell your kids?

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135

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  • 4themoney
    4themoney Posts: 797 Member
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    I am just hearing about this, via you Jen on MFP. My kids just got home from school and haven't said a word. So, they must not know either.

    I was in elementary school when Laurie damn entered hubbards woods elementary school and took out 7 kids. We weren't allowed out for recess that day. And when school ended for the day Laurie had already left the school, and was holed up in a house w
    Hostages. So, we were allowed to walk home from school.

    I watched the news that night, and we heard she had committed suicide after letting her hostages go. We went to school the next day. There were memorials. One boy went to temple w a friend of mine. The following year I was on spring break w a girl that was in one of the classrooms Laurie dann entered.

    I wasn't afraid to go to school. We all remembered and talked about it for years to come, but it didn't make us afraid. Even now, I can remember the day and weeks and months and years after it. I can tell you Laurie danns every move that day before she entered the school. What her path was through the school and what happened afterwards to her. It's a part of me, and always will be.

    Unless my kids bring up what happened today, I won't say anything. It's a challenging thing to carry with you......
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
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    Mine are 13 and 14.
    I'm sure they will have heard by the time they get out today.
    I will be there for them.
  • MariaLivingFit
    MariaLivingFit Posts: 224 Member
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    From PBS:
    http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/talking.html
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
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    I can't even breathe right now...I'm torn up and just the idea of the parents coming home to Thierry empty houses...I sit here and look at my tree and the gifts under it and am just broken for these families. My kids..honestly idk...how do you tell a baby without instilling fear of school in them? I'm lost..just lost

    Oh god. I forgot it was Christmas. Reading that makes me cry all over again.

    Agree. :brokenheart:
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
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    PBO is crying. You can't help being heartbroken for everyone.
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
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    From PBS:
    http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/talking.html

    this article is much better than the one I posted from the APA. I'm not surprised.
  • all4my3boyz
    all4my3boyz Posts: 94 Member
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    I can't even breathe right now...I'm torn up and just the idea of the parents coming home to their empty houses...I sit here and look at my tree and the gifts under it and am just broken for these families. My kids..honestly idk...how do you tell a baby without instilling fear of school in them? I'm lost..just lost

    Same here... So heartbroken for all those families :cry:
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
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    My baby is only 3, she's not in school yet and I'm stuck here at work balling my eyes out for the past 2-3 hours for these families while she is safe, at home with my in-laws.

    I'm not going to say anything to her because she wouldn't understand and at 3 I don't think she needs to. But, if she was older and in school? I haven't a clue. I'm having trouble coming to grips with it myself.

    I'm a mess, my stomach is in knots, I'm dizzy, my eyes have not stopped leaking and my nose is red and burning from the amount of times I've blown it already.
  • digitalbill
    digitalbill Posts: 1,410 Member
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    I have a 6 year old and an 11 year old.
    We have been kicking around home schooling for a few years...
    This might be the final push....
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,358 Member
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    I have no idea what to do. How can you prepare them for something like this? Do they need to know? I don't know what the school's have already told them. All I do know is I been wanting to go take him out of school and just hold him. I don't have much time when he gets home because I have to go to work but I'm trying to get ready so when he gets home I can just hug him.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    Nope. Nothing to tell them that they need to learn or know about the big bad world right now.
    And it's likely that they won't hear about it here in France - we filter a lot of world news out of their lives.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    My son's great grandfather died last month and it was virtually impossible to get him to understand the concept. I answered every question he had, though. If he asks, I will tell him, but he's 5 and his level of understanding would not be able to even grasp the magnitude of what happened today.
  • Louisianababy93
    Louisianababy93 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    i dont have any kids but,ill defanitly be going visit my neices and hugging them tonight!
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
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    if my kids ask me, we will discuss it, but I will not bring it up with them. It's going to take everything inside of me not to cry when I pick them up this evening.
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
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    So weird - didn't even know about this until I came on MFP, but I felt so sick to my stomach today I only got in 8 min.

    This country has been through so much since 2001. Besides our own personal problems, we have these collective, vicariously traumatic experiences like 9/11, the ensuing wars, Katrina, the Tsunami, those tornados, the housing market crash, the movie and mall shootings and now this.

    I had a lot of fear of disaster after Katrina, but I don't anymore. God has miraculously removed the fear that hung palpitably over my days. I pray that the the people affected my this - directly and vicariously, will be comforted by the only one that can give us internal peace. I am so thankful to God every day. We woke up, we are healthy, we have food to eat, a roof over our heads, we are educated. We may not have world peace, but we have peace at home. I hope those who read this can better appreciate the sweetness of their daily lives.

    As for my kids, we won't discuss this. I homeschool, so they won't hear about at school, and they normally only watch kids stuff.
  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
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    My kids are young enough that they don't need to know. This is such a tragic incident. Words cannot express it.
  • FightingforFit82
    FightingforFit82 Posts: 179
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    Well, we did discuss it. They cried and we prayed over it. Their kindness has touched my heart. They are wanting to make cards and send then to those affected. I love my babies and their hearts.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    As a mother of 5 children, between the ages of 7 and 14, this school shooting really hits home for me. Im so saddened by it... I have always been very open and transperant with all of my children... I do not sugar coat things, I do not keep info from them... I feel that they deserve to know all the information that goes on in the world around them, so that they can better prepare themselves appropriately, if ever in a similar situation. Ive been like this about everything... Terror attacks, kiddnappings, rape / molestations... and school shootings... Some people say, "You dont want to scare them, and feel like the world isnt safe..." Well guess what, THIS WORLD ISNT SAFE, AND THEY SHOULD KNOW IT! This world is not full of cotton candy and butterflies... There is evil in this world, and its all around us, and I want my kids to be vigilant. My heart and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this tragedy, and only GOD has the power to comfort them at this time...

    I will allow them to watch new coverage, I will make sure they understand the magnitude of what has happened, and then I will talk to them, with my talking points being centered around Christianity... I will make sure my children are comforted by the fact that these children are in the arms of our GOD, but at the same time, the parents and family will be experiencing hellon earth over the coming months and even years...
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    We live in Canada...i will explain our gun control, and although we've had 1 school shooting in Alberta, it isn't something to fear. I will only discuss it with him if he brings it up. I will also explain that guns DO kill people instead of the famous saying "guns don't kill people, people kill people". So thankful we live here, and so sad for those that lost loved ones today
  • CarolinaGirlinVA
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,512 Member
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    I didn't find out until about 20 minutes before my kids were dismissed from school (ages 7 and 9). Once I saw my kids walking towards me, I got tears in my eyes and hugged them both so tight. They immediately asked what was wrong and I didn't want other kids to overhear, so I just told them something bad happened at a school today and I'm glad they are safe. My 9yo told me all about a girl who sprained her ankle in PE and my heart broke at his innocence. Once we got home, I told them what happened and told them I am so glad they were not there and that I love them very much. My 13yo just walked in the door and he watched a little bit of the news and was very empathetic. He immediately asked where his 9yo brother was, I told him it was in another state and his brother was safe.

    My 13yo has emotional problems and bursts of anger. He has very little impulse control and lets his emotions dictate his actions. He has been receiving help since he was 5, yet when I hear about situations like this I pray we are doing enough and he never does anything of this sort.

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