Talking to your kids about Sandy Hook shootings

By Rex Robinson

      When Adam Lanza went on a shooting rampage, killing 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., December 14 the news traveled throughout the nation, and world, quickly. The incident impacted both adults and children.

      In the end, a total of 28 were dead, including the shooter and his mother, whom he had shot in the family home prior to coming to the school, according to published reports.

      When tragedies like this occur, parents are sometimes at a loss as to what to say to their own children.

      Lisa Pisha, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a columnist for Family Time Magazine, offered five tips on how parents should talk to their children about the school shootings in Newtown.

      

     1.) Don’t avoid talking with your kids about the tragedy. It’s likely they’ve heard bits and pieces at school, through social media, and have caught glimpses of news flashes on TV. Avoiding a conversation with them about this significant event can build levels of anxiety for both you and your children.

     

     2.) Address what they know and have them lead the conversation with their questions. It’s important that children are allowed to speak openly and as often as necessary in times of stress and trauma. But, it can be difficult to balance what they know with what they should know. Keep your conversations with your children developmentally appropriate, fact-oriented whenever possible and leave the horrific details out of the picture.

     3.) Talk to them about what makes their school, their playground – their world – safe.  It’s important to emphasize on the how’s and why’s of safety to give both children and adults a sense of relief. Talk to your children about your job as a parent in helping to keep them safe as well. Children need to be able to count on us as adults; they look to us for answers even when it can be a struggle to find them.

     

     4.) Keep your normal routine going as much as possible. Talk to your children about their school day, sports, Girl and Boy Scout events. Talk about their day-to-day activities and the exciting things they may have coming up.

     

     5.) Finally, empathize with their worries, fears, and all of the emotions that can be present or not. Don’t dismiss their feelings of worry and concern by telling them “not to worry.” Instead, tell them how you understand their worry, and their fear. Some kids are more emotional than others, just like adults. Regardless of whether or not their emotion is presenting outwardly, it’s still there. Sometimes the best conversation starters can include self-disclosures from a grown-up.

Top 12 amusement parks for the holidays

Nationally acclaimed roller coaster and amusement park expert Pete Trabucco has released his 2012 list of the world's top 12 amusement parks to visit during the holidays.

The list is topped by perennial favorites Disney World and Disneyland.

1-Disney World/Disneyland's Magic Kingdom Park and Hollywood Studios, Orlando Florida and Anaheim California. 'Mickey's Very Merry Christmas' Celebrate the magic of the holiday season with your family at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, a special event held select nights in December at Magic Kingdom and if in Orlando, Fla., don't miss the Osborne Lights show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. You will be glad you didn't. More information is at http://disneyland.disney.go.com/.

2- Silver Dollar City?Branson Missouri, An Old Time Christmas through Dec. 30. Weather permitting; many of the park's rides are open for the event and they are one of the best around when it comes to getting you in the holiday mood.  Special for the season, Silver Dollar City features 4 million lights, the Christmas on Main Street tree-lighting presentation, the Gifts of Christmas Holiday Lights parade, musical performances, and a presentation of "A Christmas Carol." New for 2012 is the musical show, "Its A Wonderful Life," based on the classic film. Santa holds court in Kringle's Krossing. Special holiday treats include hot wassail and ginger cookies. as shows such as the Mother Goose Guild and a Nativity Pageant. More information is at http://www.silverdollarcity.com/.

3- Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure ?Orlando, Fla.  It's not Christmas until you visit here? The Grinch  makes personal appearances throughout the day, and you will love the show in Dr Seuss land. You can also ride 'Cat in the Hat' while you're there and you will truly have a great experience in this park especially for the holidays. More information is at  http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Parks/Islands-of-Adventure.aspx.

4- Hershey Park Christmas Candylane and Hershey Sweet Lights Hershey, Pa., 2012 is open most days through Dec. 31. The park will scrape off the ice and open some of its rides (weather permitting) for hardy souls to enjoy. Shows include the musical, "A Rockin' Music Box Christmas." Hershey also offers a drive-through holiday light display. Called Hershey Sweet Lights, it features 2 miles of trails with over 1 million lights on more than 500 animated tableaux. Hershey offers hotel packages and other holiday promotions as well.  More information is at http://www.hersheypark.com/.

5- Dollywood?Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival Pigeon Forge (near Knoxville) 2012 will be open on select days through Dec. 30. Weather permitting; many of Dollywood's rides will be operating during the festival. If they are running, you could check out the park's 3.5 million twinkling lights from the top of one of the coasters. Lights are synchronized to holiday tunes. The park will also feature an ambitious production of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and other holiday shows" The park also presents The Polar Express 4-D Experience, a ride film based on the popular Christmas film. At Santa's Workshop, children will be able to make their own holiday craft projects. More information is at  http://www.dollywood.com/.

6- Busch Gardens Williamsburg?Christmas Town Williamsburg 2012  will be open on select days through Dec. 31. Busch Gardens will transform its European hamlets, including Ireland and England into Old World Christmas villages. New for 2012, the park will present Retro lane, an old-school Christmas light display. Always well regarded for its shows, the Christmas Town productions of "Miracles," "Gloria!," "Deck the Halls," "O Tannenbaum," and "A Sesame Street Christmas," should be top-notch. Weather permitting, the park's rides, including Mach Tower and DaVinci's Cradle, will be operating. Delicious holiday-themed food and a dining experience with Santa there as well.  More information is at http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg.

7- Lake Compounce  Bristol CT Holiday Lights ?Holiday Lights Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through December 22. Includes North Pole Railway train ride, cookie decorating, storytelling, carolers, a selection of kiddie and family rides (weather permitting), Santa (naturally!), and lots of festive lights of course. More information is at   http://www.lakecompounce.com/.

8- Dutch Wonderland?Dutch Winter Wonderland, Lancaster, Pa., 2012 through Dec 30 on select dates. Dutch Wonderland will also have several rides for the holidays. The Princess of Dutch Wonderland will be offering some Christmas stories. Santa will be on hand to see who's been naughty or nice. And the Dutch Winter Wonderland Royal Light Show will feature colorful lights synchronized to holiday music. More information is at  http://www.dutchwonderland.com/

9- Kennywood?Holiday Lights West Mifflin PA(near Pittsburgh) 2012 dates: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 30, plus Dec. 26 and 27. For its second holiday celebration, the park will be hanging loads of twinkling lights, offering carolers, and opening some of its rides, weather permitting. Last year, the first year that Kennywood presented Holiday Lights, it is fantastic! For more information, visit www.kennywood.com/.

10- Six Flags over Texas ?Holiday in the Park, Arlington. Texas (near Dallas) Everything you need to get into the holiday spirit can be found at Six Flags Over Texas during Holiday in the Park. From more than a million twinkling lights, holiday shows, toasty campfires, delicious hot cocoa, and roller coasters, to the nearly 60 foot Holiday Tree of Trees, Santa Land and of course Santa Claus. Special moments and thrills await you at North Texas' largest holiday festival. More information is at http://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/index.aspx.

11- Sea World San Antonio?SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration San Antonio 2012 through Dec. 31 on select dates. See official site for details. Shamu Claus, as well as Santa Claus, will be on hand to greet guests. Special shows will include "Clyde & Seamore's Countdown To Christmas," featuring the park's sea lions, as well as "A Sesame Street Christmas." Candy Cane Forest will be decked out with over 100,000 lights.  More information is at http://seaworldparks.com/seaworld-sanantonio. 

12- Sesame Place?A Very Furry Christmas Langhorne (near Philadelphia) 2012 on select days through Dec. 31. The event will include a parade, shows such as "Elmo's Christmas Wish," loads of decorated trees, and some of the park's rides (if the weather cooperates). More information is at www.sesameplace.com/sesame2/

In his book, "America's Top Roller Coasters and Amusement Parks,"Trabucco teaches people how to overcome their fear of roller coasters and lists the best roller coasters and amusement parks around North America. He is currently on tour promoting his book and has appeared on hundreds of media outlets and National TV. All profits from the book are going to selected charities.

Free mobile app to keep family safe

AlertID, working with The National Crime Prevention Council (McGruff the Crime Dog), urges you to protect your children and family during this Holiday Season.  Whether attending holiday events, holiday shopping or traveling with family, AlertID provides a free app that helps protect your family.

My Family Wallet, which is one part of AlertID’s mobile app, provides parents with a secure, convenient way to store current information and photos of their children and other family members, including pets, directly on their smart phones.  In the event that a parent needs to report a missing child or family member, AlertID gives them the ability to send this critical information to law enforcement or other security officials in seconds with the push of a button.

                                   

My Family Wallet is easy to use and takes less than five minutes to input the necessary information (basic demographic and contact information) and a current photo of the child can either be taken with the phone or added from existing photos.  The information remains securely on your phone and can be sent quickly to authorities in case you ever become separated.

“The US Department of Justice has reported that nearly 800,000 children become missing each year. Most families will admit that they are not armed with the most current information about their child, and for every minute a child is missing, they are potentially another mile away from safety. AlertID is a free and simple way for parents to be proactive and have this information at their fingertips should they need to contact authorities,” said Keli Wilson, AlertID’s Founder.

AlertID also provides its members with alerts from state sex offender databases in 23 states, representing more than 224 million people, with more states being added each month.

In addition, AlertID’s mobile applications also allow you to send pictures and other information about potential crimes or threats directly to law enforcement quickly and easily.

“AlertID is an important resource and every parent should be prepared for an emergency”, said Stephanie Parker, Chairperson Nevada Amber Alert Committee.  “The app is free and easy to use, and we strongly recommend that every parent sign up for this service at www.AlertID.com.”

To sign up for a free account, or for more information, visit www.AlertID.com.