"Our son had a nanny in his early years. She took magnificent care of him, loves him, and he loves her. Though he aged out of needing a nanny, we still see her on occasion for meals and celebrations. We were scheduled to see her for dinner recently but the day before, well, she murdered someone. It was all over the news and social media, and we are shocked and heartbroken."
"See, only one of us went to law school and it's you. As I messaged you yesterday, "Holy shit." I am going to operate as if this letter is real, for the sake of advice-giving. I tried to think about this from a child's perspective. Do we have any idea how old this child is? Because that informs a lot of what I will say next. There is a big difference between how one might deal with this with a 6-year-old, and, say, a 10-year-old."
A family's longtime nanny was charged with murder the day before a planned dinner; the family is shocked and heartbroken. The child loved the nanny and is not on social media, and he does not yet know about the charge. Local news coverage may fade quickly in a city with frequent homicides. The parents must decide when and how to disclose the information, acknowledging the disclosure will likely be devastating. Guidance varies by age: very young children require simple reassurance and distraction, while older children need more direct, age-appropriate explanations and context.
Read at Slate Magazine
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