BRYAN, Texas — Grief and grieving are never an easy, or simple process. The process manifests itself differently in everyone. Experts say this is something many children are forced to figure out now following the Uvalde deadly school shooting where 19 children and two teachers dead.
A counselor at Piece of Mind counseling, Jason Adams, explained how situations like these trigger anxiety in children and possibly have them live in fear.
"There's always that fear, especially for children who maybe struggle with anxiety and this may be something that they really think about a lot," Adams stated. "There are children who, this is a clear and present anxiety for them, they are afraid to go to school, especially in the wake and the immediate wake of something like this."
Adams said this has become a sad reality that indeed could happen. It's a hard conversation for parents to have with their kids but he shared some ways on how you can get started.
"Connect with this child, try to understand what it is that they're feeling in this moment because like I said due to the grief process it could be different today than it was yesterday," he said.
Additionally, keeping an open-door policy between your children will strengthen this connection, he added.
According to Adams, grief and this entire process will warrant different reactions for every child and age.
Texas A&M psychology professor, Dr. Noni Gaylord-Harden explained how her own students came to her to process. She said many are still dealing with the aftermath of the shooting of a grocery store in Buffalo, New York just weeks before Uvalde.
"I did have some meetings with students who just wanted to process not only that shooting but what happened in Buffalo," Harden said. "The conversations were difficult because people are grieving, feeling this sense of trauma and hopelessness around these issues," she said. "I think it's important to note that each child will respond differently."
She believes it shattered what was already a fragile sense of safety, especially for those of color.
Parents noticing changes in behavior such as being withdrawn, varied sleeping habits and even acting out are some signs that they are having trouble coping.
Overall, being patient with your children and giving yourself a break from the constant cycle of information are just two steps to coping with the Uvalde shooting.
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