My son is 14, so there is no way to keep him away from the news, which both fascinates and terrifies him.
You can explain many news items in a positive light, but not all of them. My son is now fascinated with the Kony viral video. He is aware of rape, murder, suicide, tornadoes, war and famine.
I think it might help if he were more spiritual, but he has advised me that science has proven that God does not exist. And we have talked about trying to make a difference. But the reality is, we have never really found a way to deal with this issue. And now that he is a teenager, it is much more difficult.
The only thing that I can offer is that like all fears, he actually does better with more exposure to the news rather than less. This has allowed him to read different opinions, and think things through.
ITA with that last comment. Knowledge is power, especially for those who are as relentlessly concrete and logical as some of our kids.
Likewise, I think it is most comforting to believe that the Universe works much like one's own brain-- be those workings spiritual and with a tendency toward believing in Mystery, or not. FWIW, my daughter arrived at her conclusions toward atheism at eight, around the time of her First Communion, when she announced: "Well, because no one bothers if I sin except you, Mom, and I KNOW you aren't God."
Hard to argue that one.
