Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street, talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.
DEUTERONOMY 6: 6-8

By Carey Bryson, About.com

1. Preview movies and TV shows before your children watch them. Watch the show or read reviews/ratings to verify that the show meets your standards for content and value.
2. Watch TV with your kids when you can. Co-viewing allows you to discuss the show with them, and if something inappropriate is shown or said, you can point out that it is something that doesn’t meet your family’s standards.
3. Set time limits. Limiting children’s viewing time can be difficult, but being consistent with the rules can help avoid a conflict.
4. Establish TV rules around your family schedule. For example, make a rule that homework and chores must be done before watching TV.
5. Be aware of commercials. Discuss the concept of commercials and the goal of advertising with your kids. Young children sometimes have trouble distinguishing between shows and commercials.

Read more at kidstvmovies.about.com

www.kidshealth.org

Although news gleaned from television, radio, or the Internet often is a positive educational experience for kids, problems can arise when the images presented are violent or the stories touch on disturbing topics.

News about a natural disaster, such as the devastating earthquake in China or cyclone in Myanmar, could make kids worry that something similar is going to hit home, or fear a part of daily life — such as rain and thunderstorms — that they'd never worried about before.

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

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.

Read more at kidshealth.org

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/ www.aacap.org

Children often see or hear the news many times a day through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet.  Seeing and hearing about local and world events, such as natural disasters, catastrophic events, and crime reports, may cause children to experience stress, anxiety, and fears.

There have also been several changes in how news is reported that have given rise to the increased potential for children to experience negative effects.  These changes include the following:

• television channels and Internet services and sites which report the news 24 hours a day
• television channels broadcasting live events as they are unfolding, in "real time"
• increased reporting of the details of the private lives of public figures and role models
• pressure to get news to the public as part of the competitive nature of the entertainment industry
• detailed and repetitive visual coverage of natural disasters and violent acts

While there has been great public debate about providing television ratings to warn parents about violence and sex in regular programming, news shows have only recently been added to these discussions.  Research has shown that children and adolescents are prone to imitate what they see and hear in the news, a kind of contagion effect described as "copy cat" events. 

Read more at www.aacap.org

Media Awareness Network/ www.media-awareness.ca

Television is an inescapable part of modern culture. We depend on TV for entertainment, news, education, culture, weather, sports—and even music, since the advent of music videos.

With the recent explosion in satellite and digital speciality channels, we now have access to a plethora of both good quality and inappropriate TV content. In this crowded television environment, the key for parents is to search out high quality TV programs for their kids, and whenever possible, enjoy them together as a family.

Television offers lots of benefits to kids, including:

• Because of its ability to create powerful touchstones, TV enables young people to share cultural experiences with others.

• Shared viewing gives family members of all ages an opportunity to spend time together.
• 
  Parents can use TV as a catalyst to get kids reading—following up on TV programs by getting books on the same subjects or reading authors whose work was adapted for the programs.
• 
  Great television can teach kids important values and life lessons.

Read more at media-awareness.ca

By Shirley Carlson

As the leaves turn to burnished gold and crimson red and we begin to experience the aroma of fall, our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving.  This is a time of gratitude for God’s many gifts to us and the bountiful harvest.  It also offers us an opportunity to teach our children that they can be a “gift” or a “blessing” to others.  Experiencing what it feels like when we give to others can be one of life’s greatest joys.

This month set aside some family time to explore the possibility of being a blessing to others.  God has a giant heart, but his only hands are ours.  He needs our help to make this a better, safer place for those who are needy.
Make a list of possible ways your family could be a blessing to others and then choose the activities that you could make become a reality.  Some activities might require that you link up with other families on a specific project.  Be sure to include the children as you gather items or purchase items.

As you work on your projects, share the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and talk about what it means to be a good neighbor.

Possible suggestions include:

1. Make First Aid Kits for your local food pantry.  Most food banks cannot purchase products other than food and are in need of first aid basics. Your children can make a special greeting card to include in your packet.

2. Check with your local welfare agencies to find a needy family who might need a “secret neighbor” as they prepare for winter, then put together a packet of warm gloves, scarves, and other winter clothing and get it to them.

3. Check out mission websites such as Church World Service at churchworldservice.org and click on kits under their home site.  It gives detailed information on how to assemble and send these kits, which may be Baby Kits, School Kits, Hygiene Kits, or Emergency Clean-up Buckets.

4. Plan a game night for a local orphanage or nursing home.

You can add your ideas to this list.  Remember that being God’s hands in the world is a wonderful way to spread joy.

Looking for a volunteer opportunity in your neighborhood? Then visit volunteermatch.org, SERVEnet.org, or idealist.org for the latest volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood.

by Teresa McEntire /www.families.com

If you are tired of the same old activities try giving service. There are people in need all around you. Providing service to others helps your children recognize needs besides their own, makes them appreciate the things that they do have, and builds family unity as you work towards a common goal. As you decide what service you want to give keep these points in mind.

1. Think about the needs of people close to you. Maybe your neighbor just had a baby and you could make dinner as a family to take to them. Or you have an elderly neighbor or family member that you could visit on a regular basis or clean up their yard. Every spring we used to go to my grandparent’s house to clean up from winter, plant flowers, and mow the lawn.

2. Consider what is really needed. Sometimes the service that you think will be appreciated isn't really what is needed.

3. Try serving anonymously. One year for Christmas we bought presents for a family in need then set them on the doorstep and ran away. Part of the fun was the people never knew whom the gifts were from. Sometimes anonymous service is easier for people to accept.

Read more at fun.families.com

Children need to know they can share their fears with their parents.  It is unhealthy for children to hide their fears.  It can be difficult to find children’s books that help children deal with scary news.  Here are a few that might help you talk about this subject with your child:

• When I Feel Scared by Cornelia Spelman encourages children to talk about their fears and offers suggestions that help a child learn to manage these fears.  It is a picture book and works well with preschoolers and early readers.  It is a book that offers a child reassurance that there are loving people and comfortable places to help us deal with our fearful thoughts.     

• Something Might Happen by Helen Lester is a clever story for young children about Twitchly Fidget whose imagination has him trembling at the thought of possible dangers that lurk behind almost any simple activity.  He decides it is better to stay home and do nothing until Aunt Bridget Fidget drops in for a visit and helps Twitchly face his fears.

• A Safe Place Called Home by Eileen Spinelli reinforces the child’s sense that home is the place where he/she is safe.  The boy in this story has a vivid imagination that frightens him, but there is comfort in knowing that love and security are always close by.

The following questions could be used for discussion of any of the above books:

1. What are some of the scary things that happened in this book?
2. I wonder what scary thoughts you have?
3. Can you describe how it feels when you are scared?
4. Where do you go when you are afraid?
5. What do you do when you are scared?
6. What does this book suggest you might try when you are afraid?

The following websites are helpful to parents in dealing with our theme:
PBS Parents has an excellent piece on “Helping Children Deal with Scary News” which can be found at pbskids.org.

Nickelodeon’s Parents Connect at
parentsconnect.com

• A Kids' Guide to Helping Others Read & Succeed: How to Take Action! by Cathryn Berger Kaye M.A.
  
  A Tale About a Snake and a Snail: A Lesson in Helping Others by William H. Reeve
  
  Let Your Light Shine: A Story About Helping Others by Ron Berry and Chris Sharp
  
  Kids Care! by Rebecca Olien (elementary age)
  
  Moonbeam: A Book of Meditations for Children by Maureen Garth
  
  The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
  
  The Berenstain Bears Lend a Helping Hand by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
  
  The Berenstain Bears Think of Those in Need by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
  
  The Kids Guide to Service Projects by Barbara Lewis (older elementary age/adolescent)
  
  The Stars Will Still Shine by Cynthia Rylant
  
  The TV Kid by Betsy Byars
  
  Too Much TV? No! Not Me! by Shirley Priscilla Johnson
  
  TV Time: A Journal for Kidz by Dawn Parker
  
  When I Care About Others by Cornelia Spelman (young child)
  
  Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner

101 Simple Service Projects Kids Can Do by Susan Lingo

Freeing Your Child From Anxiety by Tamar Chansky

Scary News by Lorna Knox

The Power of Serving Others: You Can Start Where You Are by Gary Morsch and Dean Nelson