There is always excitement at the end of the school year.

Awards for perfect attendance and good grades, movies, signing of yearbooks, ice cream and more.

As was the case for second-, third- and fourth-grade students at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24.

But then, an 18-year-old man shot his grandmother, entered their school and killed 19 students and two teachers.

This editorial is not political because, at this point, it is unbelievable a country as intelligent as the United States cannot seem to put an end to senseless shootings.

Instead, let’s talk about the effect these acts have on young children and what we can say to help process these events.

My niece has 7-year-old twins.

Her son came home from school May 24 and said a friend on the bus told him an 18- to 21-year-old kid went into a school and killed all the second-, third- and fourth-grade kids in the school and then the older guy got killed.

“So, we don’t have to worry about that at our school because he is dead,” he said.

Her daughter asked the location of the shooting. My niece told her it was in Texas and she asked if that was near their house. My niece said no.

“OK, well at least it wasn’t close to us and the guy is dead,” she told her mom.

Two days later, her daughter wouldn’t go to sleep because she was afraid a guy was “gonna come in and shoot us in our house.” She was up until 9:30 p.m. crying.

“I had zero intentions of telling my kids about what happened in Texas, but I guess I can only shield so much when they go to school and are with older kids,” my niece said. “We talked about keeping this conversation private because not all parents want their kids to know about this very scary and sad situation. I told them if they have questions, then they can come and ask me or their dad but to keep the conversation private.”

Life coach Jay Shetty agrees and shared tips on “The Today Show” regarding how to talk to kids about shootings.

“Give them a simple explanation, but don’t go into too many details,” he said. “For slightly older kids, you want to encourage questions. They already are processing this. They’re seeing things; they’re talking to their friends about it. You want to give them a safe space to ask questions.”

Shetty also stressed the importance of moms and dads modeling calmness for their kids.

The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles has put together guidelines, “Talking to children about terrorist attacks and school and community shootings in the news,” available at www.schoolcrisiscenter.org.

“This guide offers advice on how to talk to children about tragic events, such as shootings and terrorist attacks, that they are likely to hear about at school and/or on the news,” the guide states.

In addition to a wealth of answers to our questions, the guide explains how to tell when children need more than parents can provide and where to seek additional help.

“When a terrorist attack or school or community shooting occurs, most people will be upset. However, should children continue to be very upset for several days and be unable to recover from their fears, or if they are having trouble in school, home or with their friends, then it is a good idea to speak with someone outside the family for advice. The event may have triggered other distressing experiences, worries or concerns they have. You may wish to speak with a teacher or school counseling service, pediatrician, mental health counselor or member of the clergy for advice. Please remember you shouldn’t wait until you think they need counseling - you should take advantage of counseling and support whenever you think it will be helpful.”

So here we are again - yet another editorial about a tragic event.

Will it ever end? Is it possible we could put political issues aside and come together to find a solution for our children?

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press