Dear Parents and Caregivers,
The shooting in Uvalde, Texas is another tragedy on top of far too many. Your UU church community holds space for your anger, fear, and grief. You are not alone.
Resources for talking to your child(ren):
- How To Talk To Your Kids About School Shootings (Scholastic)
- Anxiety Over School Shootings (Child Mind Institute)
- Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Psychological Association)
- Talking to Children About Violence (National Association of School Psychologists)
- Talking to Kids About the Shooting (NCTSN)
Tips for talking about tragedy:
- Children need reassurance that they are safe.
- Be honest and open, and answer questions with factual information.
- Be calm, and try not to pass along your anxiety to your child.
- Let your child’s questions guide your conversation. Be as general or specific as they need you to be.
- Honor feelings of all kinds. Encourage children to express their feelings.
- Avoid over-exposure to media, especially to visual images.
- Help your child practice self-care.
- Be patient with your child; they may have extra big emotions (even when the tragedy isn’t being talked about), or need extra sleep, connection, or play while processing.
The Role of Ritual
Ritual plays a healing role in processing emotions by providing a way to honor and validate our grief. Ritual helps us connect to something greater than ourselves.
At Home:
- Light a chalice or other candle, let it burn through your meal or storytime, and then blow it out together.
- Share a moment of silence, breathing in love, breathing out peace.
- Say a prayer of blessing for the families, parents, teachers, and community most affected by this incident.
- Drop a stone in the water as you name each person to whom you send your love: the children, parents, teachers, first responders, and even the shooter, and their families.
- Sing, play, or listen to special music.
- Find something that you can do in response to this tragedy, and do it together.
- Emphasize the morning and bedtime rituals that are already part of your routine. Give extra hugs and snuggles, and leave extra time for checking in.
- Find an extra piece of time to connect with each other, nature, and/or friends and disconnect from screens.
At Church:
Shared rituals remind us that we are not alone and help us connect to one another.
Come this week to hold silence, light a candle, add to our Book of Life, share your feelings, and/or be in community.
Parents, it is difficult to do any of this without feeling grounded, resourced, well, and healthy ourselves. If you want support, please reach out to your church community.
For support you can email:
With care,
Julie Burman
Director of Faith Formation