There are so many questions surrounding the killing of Tristyn Bailey that it’s difficult for parents to know where to begin when talking with their children.
Children, younger and teenaged, are asking how could this happen? And parents are wondering how do we answer?
On “The Morning Show,” News4Jax talked Tuesday with Dr. Dan Weinberg, a psychiatrist who lives in the Durbin community where Bailey was found dead and whose children are asking the same questions your child may have. He said the best way to answer is to be honest.
“You answer honestly, which is, at this point in time, we don’t know what happened, we don’t know why it happened, but a young woman has passed on and has moved on to heaven, and that there is a person who is in custody who also goes to that school,” Weinberg said.
A schoolmate of Bailey’s at Patriot Oaks Academy, 14-year-old Aiden Fucci, was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with her death.
Weinberg said different kids process things differently, and parents need to give them space, be good listeners and talk when they’re ready.
“It’s important to remember that as long as you are loving and caring, there is really no wrong way to talk to your child. You want to give them time,” Weinberg said. “Different children react differently. For instance, you know, when we first told my 8-year-old, he went to his room, he started playing with Legos, it didn’t really register, and then he came out in a short time later and said, ‘Am I safe?’ And we reassured him that 100% he was safe and that this incident was not going to go any further.”