Blog: Albany’s Children Are Hurting—Helping Your Teen Work Through This Life Changing Event

There are times in life when the rug is snatched right out from underneath our children and unexpectedly their world is upended. Strength, courage, and wisdom are but a few of the characteristics parents need in order to weather such times. Events of the past week have devastated the children of Albany Middle School. And as a parent, you find yourself mustering up all the strength, courage, and wisdom you can find, to support your child.

As much as we try to protect our teens from hurtful experiences, there are situations that occur which can turn their lives upside down. When these difficult times come, as parents we reach deep into our souls to find the root of what anchors us.  Although we realize it is our strength and assurance that our child is depending on, we often find ourselves falling short of the mark, leveled to our knees with uncertainty, and coming up broken. Sometimes we discover that the stabilizing force that anchors us is not inside of us, but in fact, outside. We lean, for our understanding, on a power much greater than our own. If our children are to come through this trauma whole, we as parents must be strong enough to support them.

The answers we provide our children can have a calming affect at this troubled time. The courage we show them can bring comfort and tranquility to an unsettling situation. The wisdom we demonstrate can offer stability as their world is shaken to the core. Parents are the buffer between their teen viewing the world they live in as confusing and unfair, and experiencing the world they live in with all that is positive and promising.

The children of Albany are hurting. The parents are hurting. The teachers and staff are hurting. The community is hurting. There is in fact enough hurt, pain, guilt, anger, blame, and shame to last a very long time. Hopefully, when enough time has passed the healing power of love and forgiveness will shine bright enough to mend all the broken places. In the meantime we can keep in mind the power of our words. We can use them to heal or to harm, to uplift or to tear down.

Hurtful things happen—it’s a part of life. But we come through it—that’s also a part of life. Assuring your teen that there is a sunrise beyond even the darkest day, is healing. The assurance parents provide, that joy and laughter will return to their teen’s life, can make the difference between them giving up in pessimism or going on in optimism.

The community, the teachers and staff, the parents, and the children of Albany Middle School will get stronger. They’ll trust again, they’ll hope again, and they’ll laugh again; not now, but in time.