Talking to Young Children About Violence--DON'T

A horribly violent armed attack occurred in Colorado overnight. Parents of young children are going to see and hear a lot of references to resources for talking to kids about what happened. Here is an example, from a source that I trust: http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1358574/resources-for-talking-to-kids-about-colorado-shootings.

My advice to you about talking to your young children (under the age of six) about things like this is: DON'T DO IT. These resource lists and pearls of wisdom are meant for parents of children older than yours. Your young and tender children need and deserve to be protected from the information that such things can even happen. Please follow these guidelines about shielding your young children from news of violence, war and mayhem:
--Protect them from all mention of senseless and random acts of violence. They are unable to process this information, and have no context for the language and imagery that surrounds it. Being exposed to it only breeds disregulation in a young child.
--Obtain your news and media fix when you are absolutely certain that your child(ren) can not see or hear.
--Inform other adults in their world--ahead of time, and out of eye- and ear-shot of your child--that you can not discuss these events in front of your child(ren).

People may say about infants and young children, "They can't understand what we are talking about!" You would be surprised at the early age at which children achieve 100% listening comprehension. And, even if they don't understand every word, they are taking in our tone, our body language, our expressions. Watch the face of a young child as he or she is exposed to intense language about something s/he "doesn't understand" sometime; you will see a change take place there.

Preserve their innocence. Doing so insulates their sense of security and well-being, and provides the groundwork for a mentally healthy outlook. When they come home from school a few years from now, asking about "...that person who killed all those people," or "...the flood where people died," or whatever, that's when you'll need to pull out the list of resources referenced above. For now, shield them from news of this violence as you would from violent acts.