Supervise and manage the flow of information. Most parents are all too familiar with the emotional impact of the violent pictures that flash across the television after tragedies that take a human toll. Multiply that impact by ten and you have an idea of how the pictures of September 11th may effect some children. Therefore, if you decide to allow your child to watch any news broadcasts, sit by their side and periodically ask about their thoughts and feelings. For many children, the pictures have greater impact because they can be replayed in their minds whereas the words remain on an auditory level.
Misinformation is another peril to consider.
As children discuss these events among their friends and peers, they may hear deliberate falsifications or distortions of the truth. Prepare them for these possibilities and encourage them to reveal what they ve heard so that you can help them separate fact from fiction. Prepare for emotional fallout. Anger, fear, frustration, confusion, worry, shock, anxiety, and so many other emotions too numerous to mention, are going to surface across the landscape of America. Parents can explain how normal it is to have these questions but the answers are too painful to think about.