I had the opportunity to work as the Assistant Director for the Parent Information Center - New Hampshire Coalition for Children. I took that opportunity to attend their classes so that I too could learn the “Do’s & Don’ts” of childcare. Although I don’t have children of my own, I do have nieces and nephews that I spend a great deal of time with and I was surprised how of this useful information I was able to use. One thing that I always remembered was the importance of keeping the negative impact of the “NEWS” down to a minimum – especially when children are around.

As a good rule of thumb, children should not be exposed to ANY news (TV, Radio, or Print). Children can’t comprehend if the news is referring to something happening in their neighborhood, in their town, in their state, or where.

When a parent exhibits feelings of fear, anxiety, etc. children pick up on it and take it upon themself very easily. Therefore it’s important to ‘vent’ about stressful situations with another adult only when children are not near by.

Less is more when it comes to talking to kids about disasters. Sometimes not talking to them about disasters at all may be the best bet. Children are better off not knowing about emergency situations as they end up confused, frightened, and stressed. Children should feel protected, and know the world is a good safe place to grow up.