
In our family, my Dad was famous for quoting his mother. One of her sayings has stayed with me. She said, “What your eyes don’t see, your heart can’t grieve after”. I think this is the best reason not to watch television news.
Research has shown over and over again that seeing those images, especially of the carnage of terrorist acts, create anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms in both children and adults.
The adults need to be in charge. Turn off the television. If you want to learn about terrorist activity, search the internet or watch the news later at night.
You cannot unsee disturbing events. You cannot unhear the screams of pain and fear.
Children are fantastic observers but they are lousy at interpreting what they see. They don’t have the experience or judgment to understand the world. Who does? But, I know how to protect those little eyes from seeing the scariest stuff.
Claudia
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