Whether it's the ongoing tragedy in New Orleans, the war in Iraq or a local shooting, there is plenty of news to upset both children and adults.
While adults can sort through the sometimes overwhelming amount of information and decide how to react, children lack the maturity and experience to put events into context, notes Lorna Ann Knox in "Scary News: 12 Ways to Raise Joyful Children When the Headlines Are Full of Fear."
"When I hear parents compare their children's ability to 'handle' exposure to emotionally charged events, I know it's naiveté and not a conscious desire to harm," Knox writes. "But ... the ability of a 5-year-old to watch the horrors on the evening news and sleep without nightmares does not mean she is at the head of her class."
Here is some of her advice:
"Scary News: 12 Ways to Raise Joyful Children When the Headlines Are Full of Fear"
Lorna Ann Knox
Crystal Clarity Publishers, $12.95
Keep the news off while children are home. "Ten minutes of news may lead to 10 times as much explaining, comforting and damage control."
Don't underestimate how tragic events can affect children. "Using their active, creative imaginations, children will also embellish stories with their own details, taking their general feeling of anxiety and transforming it into fear for themselves or for loved ones."
Share positive stories. Relate acts of kindness, generosity and cooperation amid the tragedy. Explain how people are helping, including anything your family can do.
Don't dismiss children's fears. Comfort and allay children's concerns, but don't discount them as unrealistic.
Provide a broader perspective. Adults know that the situation in New Orleans, for example, is unusual because of its below-sea-level location. But children may still worry about flooding in their home.
