How Do You Talk to Your Child About the News?

I don't know about you, but the news we've heard and the images we've seen lately on the television, radio, or the Internet can  touch on disturbing stories and topics.

Reports on natural disasters, child abductions, homicides, terrorist attacks, terrorist retaliations and school violence can teach kids to view the world as a an unfriendly, scary, confusing, and threatening place.

News about a natural disaster, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the after effects, could make kids worry that something similar is going to hit home. My own kids have asked me "Earthquakes don't happen here in Maryland though, right, Mom?" 

How can you deal with these disturbing stories and images? Talking to your kids about what they watch or hear will help them put frightening information into a reasonable context.