The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina surely represents the greatest domestic natural disaster that our children have ever experienced. As with all horrors, the media often carries images that can upset children and create anxiety. Here are a few guidelines for managing the media in your home:

First, reassure your children that they are safe. Tell your kids hurricanes are part of nature but are also somewhat predictable in their paths. For older kids, you can use this as a catalyzing opportunity to help them turn a passive viewing experience into a catalyzing one where they funnel the emotions from some disturbing media images into positive action by helping to raise money through local organizations.

Keep the news away from kids under seven. Turn off the TV and radio news at the top of the hour and half hour. Read the newspaper out of range of young eyes that can be frightened by the pictures. Children of this age don’t need to see or hear about something that will only scare them silly. Should you choose to discuss the tragedy with your kids, try to anticipate their questions and come up with honest but age- appropriate answers.

For kids 8-10, make sure you know what images they are seeing on the Internet. Many kids at this age are online now. Some of the pictures are simply grisly. Again, reassure the more anxious kids that they are perfectly safe where they are. You might find that your kids this age will experience some desire to help out those in need. You might want to call some local Red Cross or Salvation Army chapters to see if there are ways they recommend for kids to raise relief money.

For 11-13 year olds, you might want to put the devastation in social context. This may be the first time many kids will be exposed to graphic images of the consequences of the widespread poverty that afflicts so many in this country. You might explain many people didn’t leave their homes because they couldn’t afford to, not because they didn’t want to.

For more tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics , click here

For kids age 8 and up to learn more about hurricanes (know the history, play games, get instructions on making a family disaster kit etc.), go here

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