How to talk to children about CT school shooting

It was an act of evil beyond the realm of imagination. Now dozens of innocent children are gone but how do you begin to explain the unspeakable tragedy to those who are left behind?

"This is just such a horrific tragedy that I think it challenges parents to come to terms with it in their own minds."

Dr. Brian Canfield is a Marriage and Family Therapist. He says acts like these are a cruel reminder for young ones that there's such evil in the world.

"One of the most important things to remember is to keep this in a sense of proportionality, that this event, as terrible as it is, is an anomoly."

Canfield says to stay as calm as possible when talking to your children about the situation.

"We don't want to create a bigger problem by creating a sense of fear and anxiety among our children."

He says it's important to reassure your kids that they're still safe when they go back to school and to consider the age of the child when including certain details.

"A general rule of thumb is that if children are old enough to ask the question, that they deserve an age-appropriate answer and I think parents should respond to that."

And in order to help their kids cope, parents must begin to do the same. Canfield says to try and keep it in perspective.

"We shouldn't create the situation that every trip to school creates a peril for our children because that's simply not the reality."