Moms Talk

Talking to Your Kids About the Newtown School Shooting

An expert shares advice for parents who are trying to explain the Newtown school shooting to their kids.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy, parents are wondering what to tell their children about what happened and how to help them process what they may be hearing from friends, on television and via social media. Lauren Hutchinson, LMFT is a child and family therapist and parenting consultant with a practice in Bellevue, WA. She says step one for parents is to “turn off the TV”. “We don’t want to have the TV playing in the background all the time. It isn’t helpful and the news is traumatizing for kids to watch.”   For kids age seven and younger Hutchinson says, “you want to shield them from the media coverage completely and parents should not initiate a conversation about the event because kids this age cannot make sense of…

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Services Set for Mary Sherlach, CT School Shooting Victim

Sherlach was the school psychologist at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, where a gunman opened fire Friday, killing 26 people.

Mary Sherlach, the school psychologist killed in a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, will be laid to rest this week.  A memorial service will be held 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20 at Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, CT. Friends are invited to meet directly in St. Stephen Church, 6948 Main St., Trumbull at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21 for a Memorial Mass. Interment will be private.  Condolences may be sent through the funeral home's website.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Fairfield County Community Foundation, Fund for Health and Wellness, 383 Main Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851, to continue Sherlach's work with children and mental health. Sherlach, 56, was …

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