There’s lots to be anxious about in our world.  Given the headlines over the past year –  school shootings, pandemic-related lags in learning, bullying….sometimes the fear of sending our children to school scares us as parents.  School used to be the place where kids could feel safe, interact with their friends and learn in an environment that feels supportive and fun. How can we give that place back to our kids, with monthly active shooter drills -constant reminders of danger?  How can we give that place back to ourselves as parents and feel okay putting them on that bus every day, dropping them off in the dropoff lane, walking them to school?

As adults we know that we can’t know everything; as parents, we know we can’t shield our kids from everything…sigh.  But we CAN help them approach school in a way that feels good.  Younger kids take their cues from their parents – if we are calm, we signal to our children that everything’s okay. And statistically speaking, it will be.  Did you know that according to ThinkImpact, there are 98,469 public and 32,461 private schools in the United States? That’s 130,930 total schools and while one episode of school violence is too many, the actual danger makes it an unlikely probability for any one school.

Talking to our kids is good; instilling the fear that danger lurks around every corner is not – it raises anxiety, and we know that calm brains are brains optimized for learning.  That’s what we teach teachers in our Attuned School Approach. And in our Growing Resiliency in Your Children series. Kids pay close attention to the adults around them; the more we can demonstrate calm, well regulated states, the more they will receive the message that they can, as well.