Dr. Oz and Meredith Viera discuss how you can help your child cope with the tragedy in Connecticut. It's difficult to process the horrific nature of this event, but there are ways you can help.
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00:00 What do you advise parents on how to filter all this tragic news for their kids?
00:05 It's hard because it's hard for adults to filter it much less children
00:08 I think that having three kids of my own and certainly they were young when 9/11 happened
00:13 And we treated it differently with each one our youngest daughter Lily
00:17 She would need to know everything that was going on. She wasn't glued to the television. What was she she was at that time?
00:24 I think she was seven
00:26 Okay, but nowadays even at that age. I mean that wasn't you know jump ahead to now and even seven-year-olds are now processing
00:33 A lot of information earlier more so than they did then but um I think if a child is young really young
00:40 I don't think you want to share
00:42 This certainly not this kind of a story because it's it's too overwhelming
00:46 And I think when a child is older and exposed to it. I think it's important to let them know
00:52 I mean clearly bad things happen in this world, but that you're their parent you are there to protect them
00:57 And they are safe with you
00:59 It does seem to me that at almost any age kids are gonna hear about this
01:03 You probably want to have your filter on it as a parent, but that becomes a challenge in how I delivered
01:08 How about for adults?
01:09 I mean it's some point even for an adult that becomes traumatic and this is gonna be in the news 24/7 for a while
01:14 And sir is there a guide you give not just as a journalist or I'll get to in a second
01:19 But as a mom as a woman what you think is rational I?
01:22 Right now. I'm at a loss to be honest with you because this is overwhelming this number of children to be killed
01:30 It's just I can't I can't process it because it doesn't make any sense
01:33 And I think you could sit here for days and and weeks and months and never quite
01:38 Understand why why someone would do something like this um, but you know all you can do is um I think grieve
01:45 because that's natural and
01:48 Come together with other people. I think community is very important at a time like this
01:52 The journalist was reported on events of this danger although. This is uniquely tragic
01:58 How does it wear on you where does how do you deal with that obligation to tell the story, but not get destroyed?
02:05 Yeah, well, it's interesting one of the first stories that I covered when I was working for the today show was Virginia Tech
02:10 Oh, which was awful and we went there and first you have your journalism hat on and you just have to tell the story you
02:16 Have to give the facts you have to be calm
02:18 Because the audience that you're talking to is very very upset
02:23 And so you have to be very delicate about the way you deliver the news
02:26 But but straightforward as well, and that's what we did the first day the second day
02:30 They had a candlelight vigil and the all these students were there, and I was I was there not even covering it
02:35 I just went to to be part of it and these kids started coming up to me
02:39 And they were crying and they said can would would you just give us a hug and in that moment?
02:45 I realized that they when they're off at college. They connected to us on the today show
02:49 I'm sure they did with GMA and every other show and TV as
02:53 almost a
02:55 Parental figure something they could watch her did that they felt they knew and they couldn't hug their mother their father
03:00 And they were scared
03:01 And I can't tell you how much that affected me and brought that story home to me in a much different way and as a journalist
03:07 But as a mom
03:08 But how do you cope then I mean you're you're absorbing?
03:11 all this pain
03:14 Because you are their mom in many ways or their sister
03:16 Daughter in some cases. I guess I try. I mean I'm pretty sensitive and I cry easily
03:21 so I tried to turn it around that somehow you use this pain to sensitize yourself to the
03:27 Be more compassionate to other people because otherwise you're just gonna crawl into a hole
03:32 And this is at a high level what obligation do you think news organizations have to the story?
03:37 How did they tastefully and it is such a difficult dance?
03:40 You know fulfill your obligation to portray the news
03:43 But also protect people from especially from people who are watching who aren't stable who might actually want to copycat what they're saying
03:50 I don't know how you stop that to be honest with you as a journalist
03:54 I mean if somebody is crazy and hell-bent on doing something so irrational. I'm not sure that you can stop it
03:59 You know they have people who get through metal detectors and and do crazy things
04:04 I mean how this guy who goes into the school with a highly good going in with a gun the whole thing
04:08 I don't know the that is a journalist
04:10 I could stop a copycat killing
04:13 But I think you have to be very responsible the way that you cover the news you have to know your facts before you
04:17 Yes, start talking about things
04:19 Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications
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