Helping kids cope with school closure stress

YOUR RESPONSE WAS OVERWHELMING. ON FACEBOOK, MORE THAN 440 COMMENTS. AND ON TWITTER, HUNDREDS MORE. WE ASKED HOW YOUR KIDS REACTED WHEN THEY FOUND OUT SCHOOLS WOULD BE CLOSED FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. MY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IS DEVASTATED. MORE THAN PROM, SHE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO GRADUATION WITH HER FRIENDS. AND, MY SIXTH GRADER IS IN TEARS. SHE MISSES SCHOOL AND HER FRIENDS AND TEACHERS. >> A LOT OF WHAT MANY OF US ARE FEELING IS A GRIEF REACTION. >> CAROLYN SNELL IS AN ATTENDING PSYCHOLOGIST AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. SHE SAYS THOSE FEELINGS ARE NORMAL. AND LETTING YOUR KIDS FEEL THEM IS OK. SHE SAYS PARENTS CAN ENCOURAGE OLDER KIDS TO TALK TO THEIR FRIENDS ABOUT MISSING PROM OR GRADUATION OR A FINAL SPORTS SEASON. >> I THINK THERE’S A BIG SENSE THAT EVERYONE IS STRUGGLING AND THEREFORE I SHOULDN’T BE TALKING ABOUT MY OWN STRUGGLES TOO MUC , WHERE I THINK OFTEN KIDS ARE OFTEN EXPERIENCING A LOT OF THE SAME CONCERNS AS ONE ANOTHER AND KIND DERIVE A LOT OF SUPPORT EVEN FROM JUST KNOWING THAT. EMILY: TO HELP YOUNGER KIDS, PARENTS CAN OFFER AGE-APPROPRIATE EXPLANATIONS ABOUT WHY CLOSING SCHOOL IS NECESSARY. FOR EXAMPLE, TO KEEP US SAFE. SNELL SAYS ALSO SAYS TO BE PREPARED FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE >> THE KID WHO STOMPS AROUND AND IS IRRITATED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND MAY BE TEARFUL BUT THEN KIND OF BOUNCES BACK AND SEEMS LIKE THEIR NORMAL SELF I WOULDN’T BE TOO CONCERNED ABOUT. THE KID WHO, FOR WEEKS, IS HAVING DIFFICULTY MOTIVATING TO DO THE THINGS THAT THEY USED TO DO BECAUSE OF THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT, THAT WOULD BE A KID I WOULD BE MORE WORRIED ABOUT. EMILY: SNELL SAYS SHE’S SEEING LEARNING CONTINUE IN HER PATIENTS, EVEN IF IT’S NOT IN THE CLASSROOM. AND CATCHING UP MAY NOT BE AS DIFFICULT AS YOU IMAGINE. >> WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT, AND SO EVERYONE ALWAYS LOSES A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OVER THE SUMMER TIME AND THEN REGAINS IT IN THE FALL AND SO THIS WILL PROBABLY BE AN EXTENSION OF THAT FOR EVERYBODY. EMIL DR. SNELL TOLD ME SHE’S ALSO HEARING FROM KIDS WHO ARE RELIEVED SCHOOLS WILL STAY CLOSED. SOME OF HER MEDICALLY VULNERABLE PATIENTS, WHO FEEL THE DECISION WILL KEEP THEM SAFE. PERHAPS SOMETHING TO S

With Massachusetts schools officially closed for the remainder of the school year, kids may be struggling and dealing with feelings of loss or grief. Hundreds of WCVB viewers shared their child's reactions on Facebook and Twitter, writing about high school seniors feeling devastated and younger children sad about missing their friends and teachers."A lot of what many of us are feeling is a grief reaction," said Dr. Carolyn Snell, an attending psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital. She said those feelings are normal and letting your kids feel them is OK. Parents can encourage older kids to talk to their friends about missing prom or a graduation or a final sports season."I think there's a big sense that everyone is struggling and therefore I shouldn't be talking about my own struggles too much, where I think kids are often experiencing a lot of the same concerns as one another and kind derive a lot of support even from just knowing that," Snell said. To help younger kids, parents can offer age-appropriate explanations about why closing school is necessary and be prepared for behavior changes."The kid who stomps around and is irritated for a couple of days and may be tearful but then kind of bounces back and seems like their normal self I wouldn't be too concerned about," Snell said."The kid who, for weeks, is having difficulty motivating to do the things that they used to do because of their disappointment, that I would be more worried about."Snell said she's sees learning continue in her patients, even if it's not in the classroom, and catching up may not be as difficult as parents imagine."We're all in the same boat. Everyone always loses a little bit of their knowledge over the summer time and then regains it in the fall and so this will probably be an extension of that for everybody," Snell said. She also said she is hearing from kids who are relieved schools will stay closed including some of her medically vulnerable patients, who feel the decision will keep them safe.

With Massachusetts schools officially closed for the remainder of the school year, kids may be struggling and dealing with feelings of loss or grief.

Hundreds of WCVB viewers shared their child's reactions on Facebook and Twitter, writing about high school seniors feeling devastated and younger children sad about missing their friends and teachers.

"A lot of what many of us are feeling is a grief reaction," said Dr. Carolyn Snell, an attending psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital.

She said those feelings are normal and letting your kids feel them is OK. Parents can encourage older kids to talk to their friends about missing prom or a graduation or a final sports season.

"I think there's a big sense that everyone is struggling and therefore I shouldn't be talking about my own struggles too much, where I think kids are often experiencing a lot of the same concerns as one another and kind derive a lot of support even from just knowing that," Snell said.

To help younger kids, parents can offer age-appropriate explanations about why closing school is necessary and be prepared for behavior changes.

"The kid who stomps around and is irritated for a couple of days and may be tearful but then kind of bounces back and seems like their normal self I wouldn't be too concerned about," Snell said.

"The kid who, for weeks, is having difficulty motivating to do the things that they used to do because of their disappointment, that I would be more worried about."

Snell said she's sees learning continue in her patients, even if it's not in the classroom, and catching up may not be as difficult as parents imagine.

"We're all in the same boat. Everyone always loses a little bit of their knowledge over the summer time and then regains it in the fall and so this will probably be an extension of that for everybody," Snell said.

She also said she is hearing from kids who are relieved schools will stay closed including some of her medically vulnerable patients, who feel the decision will keep them safe.

Helping kids cope with school closure stress

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