Expert Offers Advice To Parents On Helping Children Cope With School Threats
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – Tuesday's threat against more than 900 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District had hundreds of thousands of students and their parents on edge. So, how do moms and dads calm their children's fear?
Charles Sophy is the medical director at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. "It's constant threats and constant fear. We can't be controlled by that."
But it's easier said than done. Sophy said when it comes to talking to kids about why they didn't go to school, do it according to age.
Start with the youngest. "Children from the ages of 3 to 8 years, and those are children who may not come to you actively and say: 'Hey, mom! What's going on?' But they're going to know what's going on because either they watched you or they heard the news."
Sophy said parents should ask their kids if they have any questions about why they didn't go to school. He said explain to the boys and girls that police and school officials are checking the schools to make sure the buildings are safe.
When it comes to middle and high school students with computers and social media at their fingertips, they may want more information and even watch the news with parents.
So, guide them. "You want to say: 'Do you have any questions? Do you understand what's going? Are you worried about anything?' And then again, listen and saying less is more," Sophy advised.
When it comes to parents' own social media pages, make sure what you told your kids matches your post. "These are the times your child may check your account to kind of guide themselves on what's going on because may be they think you are not going to tell them to their face," Sophy said.
He said parents should not forget to take care of themselves as well. "Don't think that you're not going to be affected. And by the way, these things can accumulate. And you may not feel anything for two weeks."