Denver Massacre conjures up horrible thoughts
Twelve people were shot dead and 59 injured during the rampage at the midnight premiere of the newest Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises” in Colorado, United States, yesterday. James Holmes, a 24-year-old university student, was arrested next to his car at the rear of the cinema after the shootings.
Witnesses inside the cinema, at the time of the shooting, described chaos similar to that depicted in the Batman films, in which maniacal villains terrorised Gotham City. Holmes, is due to face court on Monday over the shootings
Adults find news events disturbing and we have life experience. So this brings me to the question – whether children should be exposed to tragic news events and when and how much?
7 points for adults regarding a child seeing or hearing about a tragedy:
* A child who is already anxious or who doesn’t sleep well, wakes frequently, has nightmares or night terrors, will find the tragedy harder to deal with than other children.
* It is difficult for parents to deal with their own feelings and know exactly how to say and do the right things to help their children cope. So if you do tell your children try and plan what you will say.
* Has the child recently dealt with a personal loss or tragedy? If so, the topic of tragedy may not be helpful.
* Helping children to cope is age appropriate. For younger children, especially toddlers and preschool age children it is best to not allow your children to view or hear about the tragedy. Many pictures on TV are too graphic for younger children.
* If your younger child has a question, you should provide age appropriate and limited facts. If you think your child wants more details, take a break if you like and think about what you might say.
* Younger children also often have ‘magical thinking’ and they may think a little radically. Younger children also have a hard time telling the difference between fantasy and reality and may not understand that the ‘news’ is real.
* Even older children should watch a limited amount of television coverage while accompanied by an adult who can talk about what has happened with the child.
Caz says
That is very scary!
Caz says
That is very scary!
Dave C says
Thanks Shaz.
My son is staying with a sporting team just 5 mins from there. They were due to actually go and see that same movie session but were too tired after a day on the baseball fields. They are pretty traumatised but being well looked after. This info will help me assist him when he returns home.
Shaz says
Ohh wow how scary…yes… it will be good when you can talk about it face to face…especially because he has been exposed to it.