The week's best parenting advice: January 12, 2021
Jessica Hullinger
1.
Many children will no doubt have questions about last week's violent storming of the U.S. Capitol. They may find the news coverage upsetting, triggering, or confusing, but caregivers can help kids process and learn from this difficult moment in American history. Start by asking age-appropriate questions to get a sense of what they know about the event. Some examples recommended by Diane Jones Lowrey at
Common Sense Media include: "What did you watch or hear about what happened?" "How do you feel about it?" And for slightly older kids, "How do you think your friends and other people in your family feel, including people from different backgrounds and races?" To help hone their media literacy skills, ask teenagers to reflect on the words journalists are using to describe the events — would the language be different had most of the rioters not been white? "Since most teens get their news from social media, ask questions to help them think critically about what they're seeing and reading," Jones Lowrey says. [