Kids and the News
It's a big news week...some good (Osama Bin Laden has been killed), some tragic (tornados in the south), some fun and lighthearted (Royal Wedding!), and some educational (Space Shuttle Endeavour's last mission). It is weeks like this where I could park myself in front of a 24 hour news station and watch for hours. But I don't. And that is because we don't let our kids watch any news, so anytime they are awake, there is no news on the TV.
We do this for a couple of reasons. First, they are relatively little still (6 and 4) so I don't feel like they need to hear about all of the terrible things that happen in the world. I don't want them getting upset or worried about violence and destruction. There are plenty of years ahead of them where they will have to worry about those things. Also, my husband is in the military and deploys frequently to Afghanistan, so we protect them from hearing stories of war because we really don't want them to associate what Daddy does with violence and death. The last thing we need is for them to hear about someone being killed over there or heaven forbid a plane crashing (Daddy is a pilot). As far as they know, Afghanistan is just another country and Daddy is just as safe over there as he is here.
Even if we didn't have the military angle to deal with, I just think that the news is not for kids. The media feels the need to report on each and every horrible thing that happens across the country and around the world with graphic photos and descriptions. It can be scary for kids. Even local news is scary.
Some may think that we're over protective and that our kids will not be as informed as they should be, but I say there is plenty of time for that. We do share important stories with them on our own terms. We told them about the tsunami in Japan and prayed for the victims. We obviously share good news and exciting things like the shuttle launch with them, too. We teach them about the government (voting, who our leaders are, etc) and the economy. They are whizzes at Geography (thanks to a world traveling dad and an uncle in the Peace Corps). But to them, the world is a safe and wonderful place and I want to keep it that way for a little longer.
What about you? Do you let your kids watch the news? Do you think it is overprotective to shelter children from the realities of the world?