If a child has been taught that life is full of unicorns and fairy princesses who dispense light and magic wherever they go, of course it's going to be a bit shocking to see people plummeting to their deaths. A certain intellectual progression has to happen, and I'd expect an adult sheltered from reality to be easily distraught as well without having been properly taught.
I keep coming back to this. It doesn't make sense to me. I have never hidden the reality of death from my children or taught them to believe that life is a happy unicorn merry-go-round. Regardless, seeing innocent people plummet to their deaths as the result of a heinous, cowardly surprise attack would certainly be more than a bit shocking to them.
I see no way to "properly teach them" not to be shocked by it. I hope not to teach them this, in fact.
I think it's about balance. Part of our job is to prepare them for life later on and sheltering them is not going to do that. At our house we watch the news, and we talk about unfortunate things that sometimes happen in the world.
We can each only make choices that are right for the ages and sensitivity levels of our kids (some sensitivities are inherent and not developed through excessive sheltering).
My personal feeling is that watching the 9/11 footage is not going to benefit them. Watching news coverage of a death due to drunk driving, on the other hand, can by teaching them a life lesson. They can choose whether or not they travel with a drunk driver, but they can't choose what actions terrorists take.
