We are all saddened and horrified by the tragic shooting in Norway in which more than 80 teens were killed following the bombing in Oslo. The media has been updating us regularly with these events. I just finished reading an accounting of a teen who survived this ordeal. Reading her experience was very unsettling; the descriptions of how people tried to flee but were shot down conveyed terror.
Your teen will hear about this. How does this impact your teen? The idea of young teens away at summer camp being murdered is so senseless that your teen will have difficulty comprehending why this even happened. And at this point, we don't know the gunman's motives. What we can surmise is that he is disturbed at a severe level to commit these atrocities. Unfortunately, our media has already tried to label this act as being a political act. This act was one of evil intent by someone who is disturbed at a deep level, regardless of his political or religious leanings. And helping your teen understand that disturbed people with evil intentions walk among us is a job that parents do not want to address. None of us like talking about this. We would all like to believe that these incidents are just rare incidents and that these things "happen somewhere else." I am sure the people of Norway would have never expected something like this to happen in their country, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. The next time you begin to think in that manner, just recall 9/11 in New York City. These events happen everywhere.
So in going back to talking about this with your teen, what is the best course of action? Get your teen to talk about his thoughts about what happened, as well as his emotional reactions. Be certain to listen for any fear your teen has. Help him think through how he might have reacted. And be realistic with your teen. He has a greater chance of having to deal with an incident in his lifetime than the generation before him. Thinking about these incidents and how you would cope in the moment can help your teen be prepared as much as anyone can be.
I am not suggesting that we encourage fear in our teens. I am suggesting that we do the best we can as parents to help them be prepared for whatever they may face.
My prayers continue for the families in Norway.
Dr Debra
let's join our hands together to stop this kind of wrong doings. It may risk lives in the future if we just let them continue.
Posted by: Red Wing Shoe Store | 12/25/2011 at 04:56 PM
Thank you for your comment. You attitude about all of joining together to stop these tragedies is right on.
Posted by: Debra Atkisson | 12/27/2011 at 09:40 AM