Troubling Headlines Take a Toll

Planes disappear or are shot out of the sky. Refugees flee to a mountaintop to escape ethnic cleansing. Rockets land on innocent civilians in Gaza and Israel. Ebola spreads throughout Western Africa and infects U.S. citizens. Beloved celebrities suffer from depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction and commit suicide. Political quarrels in the White House lead to lawsuit and impeachment threats against the President. Flesh-eating bacteria and brain-devouring amoebas keep swimmers out of warm water during the summer months. Hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides, and wildfires play and replay again and again on our TV screens.

Have you noticed the news has been especially BAD lately? If you're suffering from anxiety over local and world events, just imagine how your child may feel. With limited ability to understand the complexities of troubling current events, your child is bombarded with frightening images and anxiety-producing stories on the television or radio news, when glancing at newspaper headlines, or even just overhearing everyday conversations between the grown-ups or other, older children at camp or school.

Even if she hasn't spoken about it, chances are she has managed to absorb at least a little of the turmoil, and it may affect her behavior, sleep patterns, and ability to focus. Extremely sensitive children may even suffer from debilitating depression or anxiety in response to troubling world events.

Short of turning off the TV and cocooning your family inside the home, what can you do to help alleviate their worries and reassure them they are safe?

Tips for Easing your Child's Media-induced Fears

• Listen to your child, and encourage him to share any anxieties or troubling thoughts with you.

• Reassure your family that they are safe. Put scary news stories into their proper perspective, and make sure your children understand that just because the news may focus on turmoil 24/7 doesn't mean the world is in constant chaos. Point out the fact that most of these stories are happening in places far away, and reassure your family that your local police, firemen, and city officials have a handle on local events and are there to protect them.

• Tell your child that even though there are a few people out there who do bad things, most people are good.

• Limit your child's exposure to troubling news, and discuss anything she may have heard about but doesn't understand. Keep your discussions age-appropriate, and only provide enough information to reassure her that the world will be all right, even when disturbing things are happening now.

• Provide your child with plenty of entertaining diversions, including lots of fun, media-free family time. Sometimes, the love and companionship of a family is all the reassurance a child needs.