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Should parents talk to children about the Paris attacks?

17 Comments

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Yes, kids need to know. Not detailed, just that the world and some people in it are not perfect. Showing visuals may be a bit much though.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Children are much more mature today than when I was a kid. They are also exposed to violence on TV , movies, video games. I think really young children do not understand the concept of death and it is difficult to explain to them what's happening. The most difficult aspect to explain to children, for me, at least, is why these events happen. There are no clear definitions between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" like in the movies.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Your right Brainiac but as they mature they will not be surprised that true "bad guys" do exist in the world and quite often they are disguised as "good guys" until they show their true colors.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Absolutely important to share your own emotions and concerns that are not too intense, hard and create excessive worry, anxiety and cause stress to the child. But equally important is asking the child how much he or she knows about the incident. Then be completely honest and ready with realistic answers that give hope and faith and are reassuring. In the end if you don 't know what else to say acknowledge to the child that you understand how difficult it is then give the child a hug and express your love.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

what, like bring it up in conversation? bit weird. If they ask, on the other hand, then don't see why not.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

If they are 6 or so, I'd say keep it to the very bare minimum and nothing more - it's likely the child would have no interest in it anyway. Year 3-4 and above I think there's more room for discussion and could even come up at school in a safe environment for discussion, etc.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is a very good topic. I have two half-American half Japanese children; son age 12 and daughter age 9. Although most of the time here in the states I'm a Fox News watcher (I know that opens me up for a lot of heat. Ha Ha Ha!), during this horrific event over the weekend I let both my children watch the news from four sources; FOX NEWS, CNN INTERNATIONAL, SKY NEWS, AND BBC WORLD NEWS. My daughter who is quite perceptive for her age (woman in training... scary!) noticed that the coverage was very mixed. She noticed in her child-like way that FOX NEWS was quick to call out the terrorists, why weren't we prepared, what terrible things might befall us in the future, etc. She said, "CNN, SKY NEWS, and BBC WORLD NEWS seem to just tell the story of what happened and what is going on now." Also she said, "I like their accents on SKY NEWS and BBC WORLD NEWS." I thought that was funny. I do have to admit she was alarmed almost to the point of crying almost when the news suddenly caught me off-guard showing some of the graphic pictures of the victims. I quickly changed channels, however unfortunately, the damage was done.

The three of us had a frank discussion of the events. They both asked, "Why do these people do these things. Do they really believe they will enter Heaven if they die in this manner?" Needless to say, it was a fairly serious and heady conversation. I never imagined 12 years ago when I became a parent that I would have to be having these types of discussions so early in their lives. Sad when you think about it, don't you agree? My son's final comment was, "If these people want an Islamic planet Earth then there is to be no compromise, right Dad?" I had no answer except to say, "Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail, and if not, you had best prepare yourself for the future."

p.s. My daughter's parting comment was: "Dad, If things become to dangerous I can just go to Baba's (grandma) house in Tokyo and we can go to 7-11 for bento and candy. The innocence of a child's mind is wonderful.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I am all for teaching kids (including mine) about current events and other disasters, but the one thing I am against is pointing out that a specific group of people are bad. We need educated children, not biased/discriminant/racist ones.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

the world and some people in it are not perfect

but we are?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I very much agree with IparryU's comment. With all the coverage this is getting in the news, parents should talk to their kids about it. But if the comments on this forum are any indication....

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I teach here in the elementary schools and this issue comes up every day. Especially as we're currently studying foreign countries. What I see is that a student's mind is often a mirror of their teacher's mind. In the many classes where the teacher fears traveling to other countries (and says so in my class) the students usually have the same idea. When the adults, teachers, leaders, etc. are scared of our world.....and the children develop these same fears....the future world looks to be a place of even less understanding and more violence.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Should they talk yo their children about the downed Russian plane? No. Children are innocent and leave their minds to develop peacefully and beautifully. Why drag them into this mess that even adults do not understand.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

If my kids asked, I'd talk with them about it. If they ask, they are ready to know. Neither have asked though, even though the older one has seen some of the news and heard his mom and me talking about it.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Unless you're in a war zone, which Europe and Japan and USA are not, there's a very small chance of coming under attack. So don't see the need, except to respond if they ask, and to mention how small the chance is.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The last thing I need is advice picked up on the internet on how to educate my kids..

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Of course they should.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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