Should parents talk to their children about traumatic events?

When the news gets bad and your children can’t avoid it, it’s best to talk with them.

The rise of childhood stress and anxiety during the past two years with COVID-19, coupled with incidents such as the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, it’s understandable your child may feel anxious, nervous or afraid. It’s particularly concerning because it is so close in timing to the mass grocery store shooting earlier that same month.

As disturbing as it is to address, parents should try to respond honestly but with a level head, according to Tammy Walker, a nurse practitioner with the Pediatric...