Let's learn how, when to turn it off

A day or two after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, my daughter, a junior at Palatine High School, talked to me about the fear that she and her peers share that it's "only a matter of time" before a shooting occurs at PHS, given the number of student-involved incidents involving guns around the school. Our kids think about the possibility every day.

As parents, we want to fix the problem and take away their fear, but sadly, we cannot accomplish either one. We can, and should, talk with our kids about their fear, and the importance of continuing each day to work toward our goals without letting it take over. We can talk with them about common sense ways to protect ourselves and what they should do if they find themselves facing a shooter - the same things that are being discussed at school.

But there is one more way we can help our kids not just survive but stay healthy and strong in the face of an ongoing threat. As parents, we can counsel them to turn off their phones, leave the media behind and take care of their mental health.

It's natural to know what's happening with such an emotional and divisive issue as gun control. It's OK to stay abreast of events, and to listen and watch as other kids step up to become the adults, while our lawmakers behave like stereotypical teens on this issue. But it is even more important for our kids - and for us - to take care of our own mental health by knowing when to turn it off.

Let's all sit down with our kids and encourage them to share what they're thinking. Let's listen more than we speak. And then show them through our own example how to turn it off for a while.

Sandra Wiles

Palatine