It is the anniversary of a terrible tragedy in our nation, one which will be played out on screens and broadcasts throughout the day.  This is rightly so, we could argue.  We, adults, should reflect on days like these. We should also be mindful of the impact that these images and words have on the smallest among us.  Listening to young adults who were children when the towers fell retell their impressions of that day has been insightful for me.  Most experienced significant confusion over what had happened and were frightened as much or more by the emotions they saw in the adults nearby as they were by the glimpses caught on screen.  

Kim John Payne of Simplicity Parenting, speaks to the impact that the news, and our discussion of the news, can have on children. (link here) Lacking a fully formed understanding of time and place, "…young children do not really grasp that repeated announcements are about one single event. Each time they hear a news report or overhear an unguarded adult conversation, the risk is that it sets off a brain based 'cascade' of fight-or-flight hormones."

He challenges us to "meet each child in the way he or she needs to be met. Please consider the age of your child and how any of this information may impact him or her….They need our reassurance that most people are good."

Our children will likely be aware, either through direct exposure to media or through classroom or other discussion.  That in itself is unavoidable and not entirely a bad thing.  It is just worth considering how much information they really need to be exposed to and how we can help them process it.  We are their "gatekeepers and protectors."  Today, as in all heavy situations, we are challenged with creating and maintaining their core feelings of safety and optimism, even as we acknowledge that,

“Sometimes – almost never – bad things happen… everyone is very sorry about this…. and there are lots of loving people helping those families now.”