PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — What would have been a fun, celebratory Fourth of July evening on the Ben Franklin Parkway turned into a parent’s nightmare with thousands fleeing with their kids, leaving strollers and other belongings behind after the shooting of two law enforcement officers shortly before 10 p.m. Monday night.
A Philadelphia childhood trauma expert said that turn of events, compounded by mass shootings nationwide, will likely impact our younger generations for years to come.
“Some children may be extremely impacted, and they may regress developmentally,” said Cabrini University professsor Colleen Lelli. “Maybe they were always a really outgoing child, and now they're more subdued. Maybe they're seeing more behaviors that are external behaviors, maybe hitting, things like that. So those are the types of things that parents are going to want to look out for.”
Lelli, who directs the university's center for trauma and domestic violence education, says it is essential to be on the lookout for short and long-term effects.
“Parents, caregivers that have just been through this trauma with their children, they need to consider, could this behavior change?” she said.
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These potential ripple effects are on the mind of Philadelphia Councilmember Curtis Jones.
“Two of my grandkids were out there. They were in the grass having listened to the concert, waiting for the fireworks, and they were in their glory,” said Philadelphia Councilmember Curtis Jones on Tuesday.
But Jones’ high school-age granddaughter immediately reacted following the chaos on the Parkway.
“She broke out, started running,” said Jones.
“They didn't hear the shots, because that was muffled by the fireworks. But what they saw was crowds coming rushing, talking about gunfire, and one of my grandkids had a fight-or-flight response and started running down the Parkway. We had to chase her down to get her to stop, to get her to come in a safe direction.”
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Lelli says the effect this incident will have will vary.
“They might even have some type of physical [response]. ‘My belly aches,’ a psychosomatic [response], ‘my belly hurts.’ Could this be a result of what they experienced? And also, they might not want to be away from their parents or their caregivers. So taking that time to figure out how to manage that as well.”
Jones said his grandchildren are already struggling with going out following two years of the pandemic. He worries about the added trauma.
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“The $1 million conversation – it has to happen next – is ‘Granddaughter, you ready to come back outside and do it again?’” said Jones.
Lelli said the best thing to do is engage with children in a way they respond to, whether it’s talking, through books, or even playing.
“It's really hard for children to sometimes express how they're feeling, so you might be able to see those expressions of grief, unsureness or shock by playing with children,” Lelli advised.
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She says there are plenty of free resources for parents to take advantage of, such as the National Child Traumatic Stress Network or the 211 helpline that can point parents in the right direction for assistance. She also said to not be afraid to reach out for professional help.
“Post-traumatic stress disorder. Later on, substance abuse, some self-harm. There might be depressive disorders, so there are lots of things that could happen," said Lelli.
"But it's really just being mindful and aware, and not being afraid to get the support and the help.”
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