Moms Talk: Should You Shield Your Kids From the News?

Moms Talk is a feature on Dexter Patch that is part of an initiative to reach out to moms and families.

Dexter Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Dexter.

Each week in Moms Talk, moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about the tsunami in Japan? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

Last week we asked and recieved no feedback. So, this week we're turning our attention to something most people do in their spare time: watch television.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question many parents face on days like today:

Let’s face it, if you own a TV or have Internet access, you can't avoid Charlie Sheen and his (allegedly) drug-fueled rants, violent uprisings in the Middle East, government-bashing in the news and more. Adults may be able to filter out all the noise, but how does this affect kids? Even if they don't ask their parents, should moms and dads casually bring up the subjects? Where and when is the best place to do this?