We’re in the thick of it now. Gone, for many of us, are the wistful thoughts of Summer being just yesterday. Here, for all of us, are the late-Fall familiarities: chilly air, dark mornings and even darker dinners, the occasional viruses, and all that holiday buzz. We also now probably share a deep sense of being fully entrenched in the school-year routine.

I’m not sure why every year I get surprised by how swiftly August goes, and yet here we are again. I’m hoping you’re all able to still be firmly living in the moment, enjoying these hot days and not yet thinking TOO much about the fall. It’ll be here soon enough!

In the wake of this week’s events in Florida, many of us are hugging our kids a bit closer, a reaction we find ourselves having more and more often as these violent events become more commonplace. Though your child may not be aware of this week’s shooting, or may not be expressing an awareness to you yet, you may be wondering, “What do I say again if my kid brings this up? How do I explain this kind of violence to my 4-, 8-, or 12- year-old? How on earth do I reassure them?”

Communication is complicated. It always has been and probably always will be, perhaps because it requires skills that change as rapidly as a person's own development. Throw in technology to the mix? Things get easier in some ways (so many digital opportunities to communicate!) and arguably harder in many (so many digital opportunities for communication to go awry!).