Talking to children about tragedies - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The tragic events that unfolded in Colorado last week will most likely play out in the press for weeks, months, maybe even years to come.

It's a tragedy that is difficult for adults to wrap their minds around, let alone children.

"One of the things I tell parents is to take into account whether or not your kids are going to be hearing about this event, let's say at summer camp. So many kids are at camp right now. If this is an event they are going to be hearing about from their friends and talking about with other people at camp, then they really need to hear about it from you first," said iVoices on iVillage correspondent Sharon Rowley.

Rowley, a mother of six, suggests keeping in mind your child's age and maturity level when talking about the tragedy. For older children she suggests being direct. Rowley says tell them a man walked into a theater with a gun and shot and killed people. For younger kids be less direct, opting for something along the lines of, "A sad event occurred when a man walked into a theater and hurt people."

Rowley says leave it up to them to ask questions.

"I am kind of careful not to lead, especially the younger kids to leaping to conclusions. They really should have a chance to digest it and come back to you with their own thoughts," Rowley said.

She says children who are less fearful by nature may not ask anything more. However, if your child is scared by the situation or becomes apprehensive about going to the movies, she says you have to make it clear to them that while this tragedy is very sad, it is also very rare.

"I talk to my kids and say, 'You know you ride your bike out in the driveway and sometimes you fall down or you are rollerblading and you fall down and you get back up again. You don't let the fear of that happening again stop you from doing it.' And really in some ways this kind of mirrors that. We can't live our lives in fear of what might happen. We need to understand that it is a rare event," Rowley said.