Two days ago, my third grader came home from school and told me, “My friends are really scared because the police haven’t found the person who set off the bombs at the Boston Marathon.” Then she looked at me earnestly and continued, “If there was a bomb at our school, I wouldn’t stop to put on my jacket or my shoes; I would just go to the Kindergarten to get Annie Rose, and we would get out.”

Her shoes? Umm, okay.

“Katie,” I started, but then I stopped. What was I going to say? I couldn’t promise her that in no way would she ever be in this type of situation, although I do think it is extremely unlikely. This was a time to think carefully about my responses, because I wanted to validate her fearful emotions while offering her as much reassurance as possible.

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