How to Talk to Kids About Tragedy

Here are the best ways to approach a conversation with your children about tragedy.
Dr. Phil McGraw, perhaps the most well-known mental health professional in the world, is the host of the #1 daytime talk show, 'Dr. Phil'.

Opening up an age-appropriate dialogue with your children about a tragedy can be difficult, but it's necessary in order to help them process, cope and feel safe. What's the best way to talk to young people about tragedy or senseless acts of violence? Dr. Phil offers this advice:

1.  Talk, Talk, Talk

Reassure your child about his/her safety and security. Find out your child's questions and answer them. If your child is going to get information, make sure he or she gets that information from you — in a familiar setting, in your own home, on your own couch. Make physical contact, hug him or her and put your hands on your child — make sure he/she feels safe.

2.  Scary Talk

When you talk about something scary, talk to your child in a normal voice. Don't use euphemisms. Tell it straight. Don't use a whispery voice. That just makes it more scary.

3.  Under the Age of Six

If your child is under the age of 6, by all means protect him or her — limit exposure to media. There’s not much he/she can say about it, and it’s not a good thing to visit these images if he or she doesn't need to see them. The younger your children are, the more abstract you need to be in talking about what has happened, because they don't have an ability to understand the concept of death or the gravity of the situation. But if you have a child who is aware of this — a friend tells him or her on the playground, he or she sees it on the news or on the Internet — and he or she asks questions, you need to be honest, but you don't want to over-share. Answer questions without specifics, and don't go beyond the questions asked.

4.  Eight Years Old to Preteen

If your child is eight to preteen, then answer his/her questions and explain that this is an isolated event and that we, as a country, have the ability to step up security. It’s very important to talk to him/her about being watchful. What makes kids feel really worried and scared is if they feel like they’re helpless. Empower your child with a sense of participation — tell him/her to watch for packages that nobody is around, a bag left that nobody seems to be attending to, and not to approach it but to tell someone in authority. That gives children a sense of empowerment. They say, "Wow. I can be the eyes and ears and be helpful." Then they don’t feel like they’re just out there with nothing to do. It really helps and gives them a sense of participation.

5. Older Children

If you have an older child, have an intelligent conversation where you can discuss what is in the news, help raise his/her awareness and again, enlist his/her aid in being watchful and able to help. Talk to him/her about what he or she has read, have an intelligent discussion and perhaps, you can suggest articles for him/her to further explore.

6.  The Day-to-Day

Conduct business as usual as far as school, life patterns and predictability. Explain the isolated nature of the occurrence. You can tell your child that someone did a very bad thing, but it's over, and assure your child that he/she is safe. Let your child know that telling is not tattling. If he/she sees something suspicious, it is appropriate to report it.

7.  Be Patient with Individual Reactions

Children process things internally, and this is a lot to wrap their head around. You're going to see sadness, anger, irritability and guilt. You'll find that sometimes, kids even feel guilty, though they have nothing to do with it. You'll see a little bit of shock in the beginning. You may also see fatigue, stomachaches and headaches.

8.  Natural Regression

When there's violence involved, it's not unusual to see children regress a little bit. You might even see your child go back to behavior from a couple of years ago — he/she is just reaffirming that he or she is OK and that you're going to take care of him/her. But the more you get your child to talk, it's just cathartic, and he or she will snap out of it. If your child starts to withdraw and become isolated, consider contacting a professional.