Parent Action for Healthy Kids Joins the Nation in Supporting Aurora, Colorado Shooting Victims; Five Tips to Help Parents Discuss This Tragedy with Their Children

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Parent Action for Healthy Kids logo; Connecting families, schools and communities on children's social, emotional and physical health.

Explain to our children that our thoughts are powerful and the best thing we can do is breath in the suffering of all of those involved in the Aurora shootings and then breath out our love and support.

(PRWEB) July 24, 2012

Parent Action for Healthy Kids is mourning the loss of the 12 people who were tragically killed at the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those recovering from injuries and to everyone affected by this horrific event.

While authorities gather evidence and devastated families try to piece together details of this terrible day, here are simple things parents everywhere can do to support victims in Colorado and help their children to be in a more peaceful place:

1. Shut off the TV and radio, it serves no purpose to re-injure ourselves and our children over and over again with the details of the tragedy.

2. Explain to our children that our thoughts are powerful and the best thing we can do is breath in the suffering of all of those involved in the Aurora shootings and then breath out our love and support.

3. Be happy and grateful for loved ones. This tragedy reminds us that the things we worry about pale in comparison to a tragedy of this magnitude.

4. Step back and let the authorities do their job. Do not jump to conclusions or create stories about the killer, the situation, or the victims.

5. Find out how the area’s nonprofits are getting involved in relief efforts and lend a hand.

Barb Flis, founder of Parent Action for Healthy Kids, is an advocate for parents, and a published parenting and children’s health expert. Her focus lies in connecting families, schools and communities for the purpose of promoting the well-being of children’s social, emotional and physical health. Barb lends a parent voice for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Michigan Surgeon General’s Michigan Steps Up campaign, American Cancer Society Coordinated School Health Leadership Training Institute, Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm to coordinate the Talk Early & Talk Often initiative, the Michigan’s Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) initiative and, in March 2010, assisting with the development of the parent toolkit for the First Lady's Let's Move initiative.

Over the past fourteen years, Barb has amassed significant professional and educational experiences while advocating for both parents and children. In addition to keynotes, professional development workshops, webinars, and motivational speeches, Barb produces customized training sessions, and focus groups on the topics of Coordinated School Health (CSH), HIV/Sex Education, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Bullying, Mental Health, and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) youth. Her “parent-to-parent” approach has garnered her much praise and national media attention.

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