Osama Bin Laden’s Death Can Cause Confusion For Children

With the announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s death headlining our newspapers and news reports, are your children confused?  It is going to be difficult for many of us to shield and filter the information that our children get from the media.  When this happens, all we can do is talk with them about the information they are receiving and help them make sense of it and find the facts.  I believe the hardest part of the Bin Laden news, is that many people are openly celebrating the death of another human being. This goes against everything that children have been taught, as far as killing, shooting, guns, and death.  Guns are dangerous, killing is bad, and death is sad.  Yet, there are people rejoicing and celebrating the shooting and killing of a man.  At a certain level this is confusing to me, I can only imagine the effect it can have on a child.

I recommend that you talk with your children.  I would first ask them if they have heard the news, heard people talking, etc.  Ask them what they have heard, if they have any questions, and if there is anything they would like to discuss with you.  Take their lead and be sure to clear up any misconceptions.  It’s important to answer all of their questions, even if your answer is, “I really don’t know”.  I understand that this can be a hard thing to discuss, but it’s important that you do so.