How to talk to kids about tragic Colorado shooting

Parents all have concerns about Friday's tragic story out of a Colorado movie theater, but what about younger members of the family who don't understand these types of horrific acts?

"The Dark Knight Rises" brings the comics alive, and for kids who came out of their midnight screening of the movie here in the Valley and learned of the terror in Aurora, Colorado, it was too much to imagine.

So how do we talk with our children about this tragedy? Dr. Mark Wellek, a Valley psychiatrist, sat down with us to talk about addressing the situation. 

"A parent can ask a teenager, 'You know about that event that happened today, do you have any questions about it? Is there anything we can talk about that's bothering you about it?' And if the child says 'no', don't push it," Wellek explained.

Younger children may not comprehend what they are seeing about the incident so don't elaborate.

"If there are questions by children because they've seen something on the television, then you answer their question directly and don't supply a bunch of extra information. That will confuse them," Wellek said.

"Most of all, know all kids process trama differently, so just be sensative to their need to process what they know."