Some of you may know about a tragic situation that occurred in our neighborhood early yesterday morning. As a way to be proactive and to provide consistent information, here is a brief description of what happened and some suggestions about how you can talk with your children, if you choose to do so.
Information -
- Tuesday morning (approximately 3 am), Mr. Wyman killed his wife and then took his own life.
- Police, ambulances, and news crew responded.
- News crews were in the neighborhood for the better part of yesterday.
Suggestions/Tips -
- Stick to the facts
- Be as specific as needed. For example, you could explain that an older couple died.
- If your children ask questions or you are concerned that they will hear about the specifics, try to use simple words and brief phrases. For example, people die in all different ways. Some happen when people are old and get sick, others when people are not happy, others by accident – like a car accident
- Try to avoid using the phrases “suicide” and “murder” unless they ask you specifically. If they do, give simple definitions such as suicide is when someone dies by harming herself and murder is when someone dies because someone else hurt them
- Provide reassurance that your children are safe and explain how they are safe
- Supervised by adults
- Keep home locked (if you do)
- School is locked
- Visitors sign in at school
- Validate their feelings
- Emphasize that this is highly unusual
- Keep communication open
- Stay in touch with staff at school, if your child is sharing concerns or you are having further discussions
- Minimize the amount of time the news is on or if possible do not have it on while your children are awake
- Minimize adult conversations when children can potentially hear you speaking
Additional support is available at Williams. Please feel free to contact Dr. Connolly, [email protected], and she can help to arrange resources.
Sincerely,
Dr. Julie Gold, School Psychologist
[email protected]
Burr Elementary School (M & Th & some T) 617-559-9371
Williams Elementary School (W & F & some T) 617-559-6490
