I worry about the children growing up in this nation during this time of uncertainty.

One cannot turn on the television today without hearing about shooting deaths and name-calling ads or events by the presidential candidates and their staff members.

As much as parents and grandparents try to shelter children from this negativity, I’m convinced the young ones still hear some of what is said on television or the Internet, even if they are in the other room playing.

On the day of the attacks on the United States Sept. 11, 2001, my oldest son was in elementary school and my youngest son was in preschool. My husband and I sat with the older son and gave him a very cryptic version of what happened, and he did see some of the coverage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers in New York.

But life continued, and we never really talked about it again - until high school, when he announced he was going to college, adding if another 9/11 happened, he and his buddies would leave college and join the military. All because of 9/11.

He is now a Marine.

A recent night of television had candidates calling each other names with some nonstop mud slinging.

I thought about how schools are teaching anti-bullying in their schools with a zero tolerance level.

How, as parents and grandparents, do we reconcile this for our children saying it is not acceptable to bully or call others names in life and especially in school when they see it or hear it on television constantly?

Dr. Shannan Boyle Schuster, head of school at The Swain School, has the same concerns.

In a recent email to parents, Schuster provided resources for parents to talk with their children about these issues.

One article was published by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, noting the changes in how news is reported, such as “24-hour reporting,” “live” reporting as events unfold, increased reporting of details of the private lives of public figures and role models, pressure to be “first” to get the news out, and detailed and repetitive visual coverage of natural disasters and violent acts.

“Research has shown that children and adolescents are prone to imitate what they see and hear in the news. Chronic and persistent exposure to such violence can lead to fear, desensitization and, in some children, an increase in aggressive and violent behaviors. Local news shows often lead with or break into programming to announce crime reports and devote as much as 30 percent of the broadcast to detailed crime reporting,” the AACAP article noted.

The AACAP suggests monitoring the amount of time the child watches news shows, watching the news with the child, providing reassurance regarding the child’s safety, answering any questions the child may have and looking for signs the news triggered fears or anxiety such as sleeplessness, fears, bed wetting, crying or talking about being afraid.

The National Association of School Psychologists has also produced a document titled “Helping Children Cope with Terrorism - Tips for Families and Educators.”

NASP says children and youth look to adults for information and guidance on how to react to these situations and offered the following tips for adults:

• Model calm and control, as children take their emotional cues from the significant adults in their lives.

• Reassure children they are safe.

• Remind them trustworthy people are in charge.

• Let children know it is OK to feel upset.

• Tell children the truth and stick to the facts.

• Be careful not to stereotype people or countries that might be associated with the violence. Children can easily generalize negative statements or develop prejudice. Talk about tolerance and justice versus vengeance. Stop any bullying or teasing immediately.

• Keep explanations developmentally appropriate. Early elementary school children need brief, simple information balanced with reassurances the daily structures of their lives will not change. Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe. They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence and threats to safety in schools and society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society. They will be more committed to doing something to help the victims and affected community. For all children, encourage them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. Be a good listener.

• Maintain a “normal” routine.

• Monitor or restrict exposure to the television news and social media.

• Observe children’s emotional state.

We are experiencing unsettling times, and we, as adults, need to make sure our children feel safe.

We need to let our children know the bullying and name calling during this political race and in everyday life are unacceptable behaviors.

As for the daily violence on television, turn off the television around children. Monitor your child’s emotional state frequently and answer his or her questions truthfully.

One of the best suggestions from NASP is to provide an outlet for students’ desire to help.

“Consider making get well cards or sending letters to the families and survivors of the tragedy or writing thank you letters to doctors, nurses and other health care professionals as well as emergency rescue workers, firefighters and police,” NASP suggests.

Let’s turn these negative events into something positive and instill compassion and acceptance in our future generation.

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press