LIFE. THOUSANDS OF KIDS WERE IN THE CROWDS DOWNTOWN YESTERDAY. EVEN MORE WILL HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE SHOOTING, SO WE WANTED TO TAKE SOME TIME TO HELP YOU WORK THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED AND DISCUSS THE BEST WAYS TO PROCESS THE DAY’S EVENTS. WE BROUGHT IN AN EXPERT TO HELP YOU THIS THIS MORNING. PLEASE WELCOME AMANDA DAVIS, A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR. FROM SAINT LUKE’S CRITTENTON CHILDREN’S CENTER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE IN A DIFFICULT TIME. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HERE TO TO IS JUST TO ACKNOWLEDGE FEELINGS, RIGHT? WE HAVE A MIX OF EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW. WE’RE HURT. THERE’S ANGER THERE. BUT THAT IS OKAY TO FEEL THOSE FEELINGS RIGHT NOW. OH, DEFINITELY. AND I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY TELL THEIR KIDS THAT THAT’S OKAY TO EXPERIENCE THOSE FEELINGS, AND THEY ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM IN THEMSELVES AND TAKE A BIG, DEEP BREATH BEFORE THEY ADDRESS ANY OF THIS, BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE HARD AS A PARENT. THAT IS THE EXTRA LAYER TO THIS TOO, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE KIDS THERE. AS WE SAID, KIDS WERE HURT. MANY KIDS WILL LIKELY HAVE FRIENDS WHO WERE THERE OR THEY JUST WATCH THIS ON TV. I MEAN, WE HAD A COMMERCIAL BREAK AND THEN PEOPLE ARE SCRAMBLING FOR COVER. HOW DO PARENTS HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH THEIR KIDS WHEN THEY THEMSELVES ARE HURTING? YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK THE AGAIN, THE VERY FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS AS A PARENT, YOU WANT TO TAKE A REALLY DEEP BREATH AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE IN A GOOD PLACE. WHEN YOU START THIS CONVERSATION. AND THEN THE NEXT PIECE IS TO REALLY START OUT BY CHECKING WITH YOUR KIDDO TO SEE WHAT THEY KNOW, WHAT THEY SAW, WHAT THEY HEARD, AND WHAT THEY UNDERSTAND ABOUT IT. BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WE KIND OF LAYER OUR ADULT UNDERSTANDING ON TOP. AND THAT’S REALLY A LOT OF TIMES NOT WHERE KIDS ARE. SO CHECK WITH THEM FIRST. THAT’S A GOOD POINT. SO IF I HAVE KIDS OF DIFFERENT AGES, LET’S SAY LET’S SAY I’VE GOT A FIVE YEAR OLD AND A TEN YEAR OLD, YOU ADDRESS THIS DIFFERENTLY WITH EACH CHILD. DO YOU PULL THEM ASIDE INDIVIDUALLY? YES, I WOULD DEFINITELY PULL THEM ASIDE INDIVIDUALLY BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A REALLY DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING FROM AND DIFFERENT CONCERNS FROM A FIVE YEAR OLD AND A TEN YEAR OLD. AND AGAIN, START WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING. SEE WITH WHERE THEY’RE AT. ASK THEM HOW THEY’RE FEELING ABOUT IT. VALIDATE THAT FEELING LIKE, WOW, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE THAT YOU’RE REALLY SCARED OR YOU’RE REALLY MAD, OR YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS THAT WERE THERE. THOSE ARE PERFECT, GOOD STEPS. AND HONESTLY, IF THAT’S ALL YOU DO, IF YOU’RE STILL IN A REALLY GOOD PLACE, OKAY, YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN SO MANY PLACES OFFERING FREE HELP OPENING THEIR DOORS, RIGHT? FOR THERAPY SESSIONS. THAT HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING TO SEE. DO YOU RECOMMEND USING THOSE RESOURCES AND THEN WHAT DO YOU DO BEYOND THAT? YEAH. SO I THINK THE VERY FIRST STEP FOR MOST KIDS IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE AT THEIR SCHOOL. I KNOW THAT SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS WERE ALL PROBABLY SCRAMBLING LAST NIGHT TO REALLY GET THEIR PLAN TOGETHER SO THAT THEY WERE PREPARED GOING INTO TODAY. AND I THINK THAT’S PROBABLY GOING TO BE ENOUGH FOR THE MAJORITY OF KIDS. BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME KIDS WHO ARE GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS MORE KIDS WHO HAVE MAYBE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES AS KIDS WHO WERE ALREADY MAYBE ANXIOUS, UM, MIGHT STRUGGLE MORE. AND SO YOU REALLY, IF YOU’RE A PARENT OF ONE OF THOSE KIDDOS, YOU WANT TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SIGNS THAT MAYBE THEY NEED THAT NEXT STEP OF PROFESSIONAL HELP AND JUST REAL QUICK, WHAT ARE WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE SIGNS? YEAH, I MEAN, THE NUMBER ONE THING TO LOOK FOR IS ANYTHING THAT DISRUPTS THEIR NORMAL WHAT THEY NEED TO BE DOING OR WANT TO BE DOING. SO IF THEY CAN’T GET TO SCHOOL, IF THEY CAN’T CONCENTRATE IN SCHOOL, THEY DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH THEIR FRIENDS OR DO THEIR NORMAL ACTIVITIES. THOSE ARE PROBABLY THE TOP THINGS THAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE RIGHT AWAY FROM YOUR KIDDO. ALL RIGHT, WE’LL WATCH FOR THOSE ROUTINE CHANGES. ALL RIGHT. AMANDA DAVIS WITH SAINT LUKE