1:19
Walton's video has received more than 1 million likes on TikTok.
\"I just wanted to show that even though it is sad, it's starting to be our reality with the way things are going,\" Walton said. \"There's more and more and more shootings every single year, and it's better to be prepared than to be sorry.\"
Walton's post was met with thousands of comments on TikTok, many from other parents saying they were also scared for their children.
Some also wrote that they, too, had talked at home with their kids about how to survive possible shootings at school.
\"I can’t help watching this without crying. I talk to my kids about this every year but I still get emotional,\" wrote one commenter.
Janine Domingues, a clinical psychologist with the Child Mind Institute in New York City, said additional worry this year due to the shooting in Uvalde, in addition to normal back-to-school anxiety, is to be expected.
\"There is an added layer certainly, I think more so for parents, around school shootings,\" Domingues told ABC News. \"I can totally empathize as a parent of a soon-to-be 7-year-old going into first grade, certainly having in the back of my mind wanting to make sure this is going to be a safe year and that we're all prepared for that.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/uvalde-gty-er-220810_1660171971455_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
For parents who are feeling anxious about the start of the school year, Domingues recommends they talk with school officials about the safety plan in place, including drills during school.
\"My top recommendation is really go with what the school is doing,\" she said. \"I can totally understand parents wanting to be prepared and having an urge, potentially, to do the drills at home, but I think that could also potentially be counterproductive because what you might be saying may be slightly different than what is going to be done at school, and it can actually create potentially more chaos and place folks at risk.\"
Safe and Sound Schools, a nonprofit organization founded by parents who lost children in the Sandy Hook school shooting, recommends that parents find out what safety measures are in place at their child's school before talking with their child.
\"For example, ask your school administration or school safety coordinator what types of drills students are participating in,\" the organization says in its online guide on school safety. \"Learn what instructions are being given and the language used to explain these measures to students.\"
The organization also recommends parents spend time asking their child questions to help gauge \"what information they are lacking\" about school safety protocols.
\"Some good opening questions are: What does your school do to help keep you safe? or What are some of the things your school is teaching you about safety?,\" the guide states.
Likewise, Domingues said parents can also let kids know they'll be practicing safety at school, without creating additional anxiety.
\"Sometimes preparing too far in advance can make an anxious child even more anxious,\" said Domingues. \"If you're wanting to say anything at all, it can just be like, 'There's a lot of things you learn at school, and some of the things that you're going to be learning are about how we keep each other safe,' and leave it simple like that.\"
And while parents may have more anxiety than even their kids around school safety, Domingues said they can be helpful role models for their kids in how they handle their worry.
First, according to Domingues, parents should talk openly with their kids, on a developmentally appropriate level, about their worries.
\"I do think talking about it can be really helpful because it helps to alleviate some of that anxiety, and it also helps kids to see how you're handling the situation too,\" said Domingues. \"Often I say to parents to really get to a place where you're feeling calm -- you can still be very sad, angry that this is happening, anxious about it, even talk about it in that way, but also doing it in a way that's calm and where you're in control. That way you're modeling for your kids that it's okay to talk about your feelings. It's very appropriate and valid.\"
Domingues said it's also helpful for parents to talk to kids about events like school shootings so parents can make sure they are \"at the forefront of the narrative\" of what their child is hearing.
When it comes to helping kids cope with something like a school shooting or back-to-school anxiety, Domingues said it's important for parents to keep an open dialogue and ask questions to help gauge what is on the child's mind, or how much they know about an event.
Students and parents alike can also practice grounding to help cope with anxiety, focusing on what they see, hear, feel and smell right around them, according to Domingues.
Finally, Domingues said parents should be aware of possible signs that they or their child may need professional help coping with their concerns.
\"As a parent, if you're dropping your child off and it's a thing that you're constantly thinking about throughout the day and it really is sort of impacting functioning in that way, it may be that you're looking to talk to somebody else about it,\" she said. \"Really get some skills around how can I get through this anxiety in a way that's helpful so that way it is also helpful for my child.\"
For kids, if a child still has persistent problems after the first month of school with being comfortable going to school on a daily basis, the parent should reach out for help, according to Domingues.
\"If it's persistent and consistent, then it is time to reach out,\" she said. \"Reach out to a counselor, reach out to the school, reach out to a school psychologist, a clinical psychologist and get some tips and ways to really help prepare kids and manage that anxiety.\"
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