TERROR IN OKLAHOMA CITY : Reassure Children Frightened by Blast, Parents Told

Parents should quietly offer reassurance to youngsters frightened by the explosion that killed at least 12 children in the day-care center at a federal building in Oklahoma City, a psychiatrist advised Wednesday.

Parents should tell them that “terrible things sometimes happen to people, and their parents will stick by them,” said Dr. Ted Beal, a Bethesda child psychiatrist.

He said children should understand that the explosion in Oklahoma City does not mean they are in imminent danger. And parents should remind them that “people who do evil things get punished,” he said.

Tragedies that capture national attention do not necessarily scare children any more than they scare adults, Beal said. But anxiety is more likely among children who live close to the scene of the incident or youngsters who are related to any of the victims, he said.