NJ expert: How to speak to your kids about the assassination attempt

A blood-soaked ex-president. A massive crowd ducking for cover. A shooter dead, along with an innocent man who was trying to protect his family.

With adults glued to their phones and televisions over the weekend, fishing for updates related to the Donald Trump assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, it's likely your children are aware that something very bad happened.

And they may have questions.

You're being advised to answer those questions — not avoid them — and make sure the conversation centers on your child's feelings, not your own.

You don't have to go out of your way to have a conversation with your kids about the July 13 incident, especially if they seem unaware or unfazed, but you also don't want to dodge a conversation if your child wants answers or comfort, according to Larry Fisch, head of the Child and Family Counseling Center in Highland Park.

Fisch spoke with New Jersey 101.5 and offered some advice for parents who may need answers themselves.

Don't instill fear

"It's very important to have an open ear and to listen to what the child's asking, and to get a feel for, emotionally, where the child is at," Fisch said. "Meet them where their emotions are."

While it's perfectly fine for your child to be scared, there's no reason to project your own fears onto them, Fisch said.

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Keep calm, and truthful

Like adults, children may start to think in extremes when tragedies occur.

"You want to try to help them stay in the here and now — these things don't happen every day, but there are people in the world that are crazy and do things that are beyond our control sometimes," Fisch said.

Don't dismiss; encourage a dialogue

"Don't worry about it." "Everything is fine."

These are some go-to parental phrases you may want to avoid during this conversation.

"You're kind of quashing their emotions," Fisch said.

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