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Jacksonville shooting: Talking to your kids about tragedy, fears

Clara Reynolds, president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, says it's important to be open and honest because your kids probably harbor many of the same feelings you do about the situation.
Credit: First Coast News

TAMPA, Fla. — Here we are again after a shooting tragedy and you might find yourself feeling many of the same things you've felt before: anger, sadness, fear, anxiety.

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As a parent, you might be wondering how you should talk to your child about it or if you should even talk with them about it.

Clara Reynolds, president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, said with so many young people now having a phone or other device with them at all times, they're likely seeing incidents like the shooting in Jacksonville as it plays out in real time.

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Reynolds said it's important to remember your child is probably more aware than you think, so it's important to simply be open and honest with them.

  • Ask them what they know
  • Ask them how it's making them feel
  • Tell them how it's making you feel.

Even if you don't know how to have that talk, that's OK too.

"If you don't know how to have that conversation, call us and we'll roleplay that with you, we'll help give you that language," Reynold said. "So often people will tell us, 'you know, I just didn't know how to start having that conversation.'"

You might be feeling anxious, you may be feeling scared, Reynolds said, but remember your young children may be feeling the same exact way.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is available 24/7 by dialing 2-1-1 on any landline or cell phone.

Last year, more than 100,000 people in Hillsborough County alone called the hotline, Reynolds said.

Like what was experienced following the school shooting in Parkland, what’s happening in Jacksonville might not be right in our backyard in Tampa Bay, but it can still have an impact, Reynolds said.

“There are so many ties between Tampa and Jacksonville and coming on the heels so closely of Parkland, we know there are folks out there probably reacting strongly to what happened," she said. "So it’s so important for those individuals feeling scared, nervous or anxious that they know they can reach out to us.”

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