Mom's Talk - Shield Our Kids or Keep Them Informed

Earthquakes, tsunamis, brutality in the Middle East and Africa, famine and violence in the news. It seems like bad news happens every day. The nature of television news tends to the visually compelling, which is to say gruesome. Like the accident you drive past and try not to look at, but you just can't help yourself.

Still, when it comes to young kids, what is healthy? Should we turn off the news or send them out of the room when it comes on? Or should we sit with them and be ready to answer questions? How much bad news can kids handle and still be all right?

I remember my son Jesse as a youngster had a terrible fear of fire. He was sure that any time he saw smoke in the distance, it meant that a huge fire was on its way. If the news had a report of a fire in another town, he was afraid it would make its way to Martinez. No matter how many times I tried to explain that we were prepared to handle a fire if one broke out, he remained afraid. Fear in children is not always rational.

On the other hand, sheltering them from the hardships of the world seems a little extreme. Isn't it a good idea to at least give them a sense that sometimes bad things happen and you just have to deal with it? That one of the great things about human beings is our capacity to rise above adversity and to grow from it?

Where do you come down on this issue?