Another tragedy in our country today has us all bracing ourselves. I’m so sorry to hear about this horrific tragedy at the Boston Marathon and so hopeful that the chaos quickly comes to a close and injuries are rapidly treated with compassion.
I’m not sharing the news about the bombing with my boys. I’ve been following live coverage quietly on Twitter but we won’t be turning on the television tonight. My boys are very young and so it’s easier to insulate them from the news. I know it’s not so easy as children age and many parents find themselves overwhelmed tonight.
It is really hard to turn the news off, log off Twitter, and return back to life as normal after we hear this kind of news. The randomness of this bombing again has us shaken. I’ve found this particularly gruesome as it was at such a symbolic and nearly sacred place…
The end of a marathon finish line is truly an inspiring and cooperative place.
As I sort out my own emotions, I’m doing my best to hold onto the image I just read about on Twitter—there are runners that kept running past the finish line straight to Mass General to donate blood.
We are a wonderful people in a wonderful country steeped with love. We are full of generosity. We can continue to see this and remind our families as we hold onto hope. So many helpers around…
Helping Children Tonight
- Turn off the television and/or radio when you can if children are around.
- Remember young children, under age 8, have a difficult time sorting out reality from fantasy and may not understand the true distance between you and Boston.
- Tips for talking with your children about tragedies from Healthy Children.
- As the details get sorted out, remember it’s okay to tell children you don’t know why this happened or how.
- More than anything, tell children the truth but avoid horrific details, numbers, and gruesome images that are circulating online whenever possible.
- Here’s a very good blog post from my friend Dr Claire McCarthy who is a pediatrician in Boston on supporting children and talking about tragedy as this unfolds.
Christian Sinclair, MD says
Yes, I have been in a break room this afternoon waiting to be called in to a board meeting to present, and the TV was on with endless (non-)updates. I noticed I myself started feeling a little nauseous and uneasy. I just had to turn it off and focus on other things. Thanks for these tips.
Elizabeth says
Hi — I just wanted to share this resource too, about using stories and story-telling to help children process. We have found this to be so powerful and helpful.
https://www.sparklestories.com/blog/2013/04/blog/tell-your-children-a-different-story/