MILWAUKEE, WI - A conversation with your child about death and violence is one of the most difficult.
"Once again we are dealing with another tragedy," said Doctor Bruce Axelrod.
"And I thought about not only the people there but [I also thought] about how do we help our children and our adolescents understand how this happened and why this happened," he also said.
Axelrod is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist. He's been in practice for over 40 years, and he is an advocate for parents talking openly with their children about incidents like the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
"This is something that happened because of a person and it's important that children and adolescents especially recognize that we're going to stop the world a bit and think about it," Axelrod said.
"It's important we help especially adolescents who tend very much to want to minimize the emotional aspect of these events be able to recognize that this is real and it hurts and real people were injured and were killed," he also said.
Axelrod suggests having the conversation with your child following a meal. He says limit the distractions in the room and begin the discussion by simply asking your child what they already know.
"Keep it short, keep it focused, [and] keep it kind, keep it honest," Axelrod said.
"And by all means, keep it positive at the end," he also said.
