How will you tell your kids?

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245

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  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
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    I won't be bringing this up with my kids but will answer questions if they ask. They are only 4 and 6.

    ^this

    I can barely wrap my mind around this so I am not going to tell them until they ask.
  • OkieinMinny
    OkieinMinny Posts: 834 Member
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    I have a 6th grader and a 4th grader - the older one has the soul of an old man and worries about everything so with him I will def talk about it and talk through it - the younger one if he asks I will

    Thank god for Xbox distractions for them
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
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    I honestly don't know. She is already so overly sensitive and filled with fears that I'm at a loss on this one. Right now I just want to hold her and be grateful that we have each other.

    ETA: She's 10 with the emotional intelligence of an adult. I wish she could just be a little kid.
  • oregonzoo
    oregonzoo Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I don't know. I don't know.
    My daughter LOVES watching the news and we won't tonight
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
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    Ugh, this is worse than 9/11. They're not even safe at school anymore :(

    This is a total tragedy; true. And it's super tough because it's KIDS... Little ones... But the fatality count for 9/11 was 2,976.

    Be safe here; I wouldn't compare em.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,097 Member
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    I'm in an odd situation. I am a nanny for 3 kindergardeners. The mother is away right now, and I will have them for hours post school before the father comes home.

    I would be shocked if the kids do not ask me questions and I will do my best to anwser them as opening as I can.

    We did have the story of the 3 year old falling into the dog pit at the zoo recently that got brought up, so I do have some idea how the parents would want me to handle it but knowing how much the girls love school I kind of hope they don't hear anything at all.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    I won't be bringing this up with my kids but will answer questions if they ask. They are only 4 and 6.

    same here. Mine are 4 and 7.
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Is it wrong that all I want to do is take her for a run? And maybe teach her to tuck and roll?

    Nope. I want to do the same thing.

    To the OP, I'm going to teach my kids not to live in fear. They're 4 and 7. But I'm sure they're going to have questions and I'll try to answer them and assure them. And I'm going to tell them to run and hide if anything like this ever happens.
  • beach_please
    beach_please Posts: 533 Member
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    I think my husband and I will talk with our older two (5 and 7). They know I'm upset about something and they keep asking what's wrong but I keep turning off the news when they come in the room. I'm just waiting until I can tell them without becoming overly emotional.
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
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    My grandson is only three.. so I don't believe his mommy will tell him anything.. my heart is broken for those families who lost their children today. Cannot imagine going home to a tree filled with presents that will never be opened. I cannot imagine the pain.....
  • superpapa16
    superpapa16 Posts: 244 Member
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    *If* my 4 year old brings it up then I will have an age appropriate conversation with him. He's like I was at that age though. He wears his heart on his sleeve and cares about everyone. Something like this will break his heart...
  • mominwi419
    mominwi419 Posts: 87
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    I have an 11 month old, so thankfully I don't have to have this discussion right now.

    I don't even know. My heart hurts so bad right now.
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
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    Article from the APA. Maybe it could help ...

    http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/school-shooting.aspx
  • avlama
    avlama Posts: 502 Member
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    all i could do is cry....my heart goes out to them. keep it simple that's what i plan to do, my son is in elementary school. you dont want them to lose their innocence so early but dont let them be sitting ducks either.
  • Beastette
    Beastette Posts: 1,497 Member
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    My kids are pretty small, and they know about bad strangers. We will have that conversation again tonight. I want my kids to be informed but not afraid, and I certainly want them to react quickly in any dangerous situation.
  • Klem4
    Klem4 Posts: 399 Member
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    Probably won't mention it, and keep the tv off of the news. Mine are only almost 3 and 5. Oldest is in Kindergarten. I can't even wrap my mind around it, so yeah.
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,179 Member
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    I won't be bringing this up with my kids but will answer questions if they ask. They are only 4 and 6.


    This is where I am at. Mine are three and six. Six year old was home sick today, so she might not hear about it.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
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    My boys are 6 and 9 and go to a school that is very open to discussing these things and I am sure it is being discussed right now. They practice lock downs and security. I know the boys will bring it up and I will talk to them about it regardless. I don't want them to be afraid to go to school or anywhere for that matter, but I want them to be smart and observant of their surroundings and the weird people that they may encounter.
  • RLDeShazo
    RLDeShazo Posts: 356 Member
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    My daughter is older, so we will discuss it like I would with anyone else.

    Back when 9/11 happened, she was still in elementary school. We live close to an AF base, so there are always planes flying overhead. All she knew from that morning was that some planes had hit buildings. On the way to school, she expressed concern that it would happen at school, since there are so many planes flying over. I explained that she had nothing to worry about and that she was safe at school.
    Later that SAME DAY some idiot called in a bomb threat to the schools. Fortunately, there was a park next to her elementary, so they were able to get the kids out of the building without too much of a panic (although she did pick up on the anxiety of the teachers). I didn't tell her about the bomb threat until years later.
  • apedeb09
    apedeb09 Posts: 805 Member
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    I won't be telling my daughter unless she asks (she's barely 6). I don't want her to be scared to go to school.. All I want to do right now is hug her tight. She gets home from school in an hour :(

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