Member-only story
You Can’t Shelter Your Child From The News
My daughter’s exposure to the news is something I navigate daily, as ever-changing as the news cycle itself. It’s not just about monitoring what she watches and listens to, but how I guide her through it.
Her eleven years on earth have occurred against the backdrop of some pretty dramatic events: terrorist attacks, mass shootings, natural disasters, and a pandemic. Add to this the persistent menaces of climate change, racism, poverty, and violence against women.
It has never occurred to me to hide any of this from her, but I do think about how I frame it. I figure that I need to help her understand the world that I’m trying to equip her to function in. Talking to her about what is happening in the news is not an afterthought. It’s as integral to her upbringing as feeding, clothing, and educating her.
I know that not all parents share my approach. I’ve heard parents say they don’t let their children watch the news because it’s too disturbing. I acknowledge that there may be sound parental reasoning behind such a decision: a child who is already struggling with sensory overload does not need difficult material to process at the end of a demanding day. But that is not the same as switching the news off because explaining it to your child…
