Finding a teachable moment in earthquake worries

Q. How can I help my children understand the earthquake in Haiti and the destruction it caused while also reassuring them they don't have to feel vulnerable?

A. Monitor TV viewing. Avoid the most graphic images, and watch coverage together to allow children to ask questions you can answer at a level a child can understand, suggests Michelle Golland, a psychologist with Momlogic.com, a Web site featuring parenting experts. "Expect that it may bring up issues of anxiety and fear that we saw after 9/11," Golland says. Reassure them, Golland says.

Children should be told there are no "bad" emotions, and it's OK to be sad about what happened. Allow children to express their feelings through writing letters or drawing pictures. "Say to them that there are adults who are in charge of helping, that our government and our president are helping," Golland says.

Encourage kids to give to those directly affected by the disaster so they feel they are contributing to the healing. Your child's school may be organizing an effort. For instance, the Southdown Primary School in Huntington is asking students to collect spare change or do extra chores around the house to earn money they can donate to a coin jar in the main office. They'll be collecting through February and donating the money to the American Red Cross and Save the Children. "We just thought it would be an opportunity to give the kids some control and to think more globally about community service," says Michelle Marino, principal.