Parents uneasy after school shooting

NORFOLK, Va. - As families in Newtown, Conn. began to lay their children to rest, many in Hampton Roads found it hard to let their own kids return to school.

10 On Your Side spoke with a parent educator at CHKD.

"We really want to make sure we're responding rather than reacting," Michele Tryon said.

Tryon said it's okay for parents to cry. Children need to see their parents show emotion so they know it's okay to feel, but they also need to see that their parents are in control.

"We don't want our emotions to be so overwhelming that they're frightened by them or that they feel that you are not able to take care of them," Tryon said. 

Tryon says to pull back and talk to other adults; sort out what is going on in your mind before you talk to your kids. Experts recommend keeping your child's routine as normal as possible.

If your child is having a particularly hard time, Tryon says encouraging and empowering kids works. Help them make a list of people at their school that can keep them safe and practice what to do in an emergency, or even write a letter to families of victims.