5 Yr Old Saw Terrorism News Story, Asked to Cancel Trip to Disneyworld

I would not make this such a big deal. You would only be confirming her fears. If she saw a story about a dog attack, you wouldn't get rid of your own dog. If she saw a story about a car acccident, you wouldn't tell her she would not have to ride in the car.

Continue to reassure her casually (that's all she is really looking for). The only reason this is a big deal to you, is that adults have the fear of flying too.

Besides, things are more secure right after a threat. I flew one month after 9/11 and felt totally safe. If you relax about it, so will she.

I agree about kids never watching the news. My oldest is almost 14 and I'm still not comfortable with her seeing some of those stories. They'll be time for them to have to face the realities of the world as they approach adulthood.

Negative information should come to children on a "need to know" basis.

i would explain to her exactly what to expect at the airport...explain them as you go through them. All the xray equipment all the people that are there to help keep her safe. Just keep talking and explaining to her and show her how happy and safe you feel about it. She will be fine. It is terrible she has to feel this way, but we have to remember our children are quote lucky that they have far fewer worries that most children in this world. There are kids who have never seen peace, a full meal and clean water running out of a tap. I think the local news is something you may not want to watch around her anymore as she is now you know paying attention and the local news is full of tragedy and really not about much news. Try listening to NPR or the BBC on the radio/internet instead

I have no idea if your airport would help with this or not, but can you take her just to visit your airport (before the day of the trip)? Sort of like a field trip to learn about the airport and show her all the things they do to help prevent everyone from getting hurt. Talk to a security guard (if possible), show her where they check peoples bags and person for items not allowed on the plane, etc.

Maybe after she sees how much they do, she'll feel better about it!

Yeah, this is why kids should never watch the news. I remember when my son and I both had the flu during the Katrina news and I broke my usual rule and had CNN on. Just that one afternoon of news coverage changed his world view forever. No news for kids! Actually, we would all be better off without local news - truly twists your vision of the world.

One thing I've read about kids and the way their minds work says that they don't respond to logic about the odds of things happening. So saying "you're more likely to die in the car on the way to the airport," while true, will not be helpful, nor will discussing the odds of something bad happening. I like what you have told her so far. It might be helpful to playact "TSA agent" - seriously, they have a Playmobil airport security set, but you could do it at home and play with her how the security gates work to scan luggage and so on. You can have her stuffed animals play passengers and security persons. Play is very therapeutic for kids and makes them feel more in control. Don't stop her from talking about it, but encourage her to play out her concerns.

It sounds like you are yourself a bit fearful. Could she be picking up on that?

Since your trip is coming up soon I recommend you see my colleague who has experience with helping relieve fears in children, Linda Williamson in Barrington. You can check her out if you google linktolinda. You will love her!

Aw, poor little one! Well, when I was little I went to Europe and there were soldiers with machine guns in the airports. Terrified me. I must have asked and my parents, who were generally honest with me, told me that a plane had been hijacked. I had LOTS of questions about it. I thought about it every time we were on a plane for many years, but I was always comforted by the fact that it was not likely to happen again. Essentially I figured that because it had already happened, it wasn't going to happen again. My parents reassured me of the same. And indeed, it didn't happen again until I was in my late twenties (9/11). By the way, my parents never had me watching local news until I was in middle school, but they did talk to me about what was going on in the world, even some of the bad stuff, in terms I could understand when I was growing up. I think it had a big impact on my interest in world events.

Just keep doing what you've done- reassure her and now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, don't hesitate to (within reason), explain to her the details she needs to know. She's gonna be fine! Hugs to you.

Unfortunately the world is not always perfect and there is no reason to lie to her about it. Just reassure her you will be there with her and everyone is working very hard to make sure the airport and country is safe. My son has always watched the news with us. It is a chance to discuss current events and even history. It can be a great learning tool. It is very worrying to me that other children in my son's 4th grade class can't even tell you who the president is or what is going on in the world. Pretending like bad things don't happen in the world just shelters them and doesn't help them when they reach their teen and adult years. It only gives them the false sense of invincibility.

In this situation I guess hovering over her will be acceptable, tons of love, tons of hugs, lots of diversions and forgive yourself. She will see news someday without you. You are not alone with this. I am angry for these things happening, too. My son was in the service for the last six years! Kind of robs everyone doesnt it? I think in your case you might introduce her perhaps to the safety people in your path at the airport and disney world etc. She might enjoy that. And these people feel appreciated for their hard work.Maybe before take a little trip to the police department and ask if there is someone to reassure her. You will still have a great vacation!

Unfortunately, we can't protect our children from the truth about the world forever. Some children are more sensitive than others. I remember when the attacks on September 11th occurred, I was 15 and was watching the news all afternoon when I got home from school, in disbelief. My sisters, who were 10, were very upset because they couldn't watch their cartoons. When I was trying to get them to understand the severity of the situation, they still did not really care. Your daughter seems very advanced for her age in understanding there are bad people out there and you can't blame her for not having a lot of faith in you or airport security keeping her safe from people like "the underwear man.". However, you can't just cancel because of this fear that something MAY happen. Try explaining to her that security is even higher because of this incident and it is unlikely that anyone like this man could even get to the gate. It is going to take a lot of reassuring.

Hi Deanna,
The News is very scarey and most of the time I don't watch it because it is very depressing, so, I can understand how your little one must be feeling. I took my children to Disneyworld and Universal when they were your daughters age and I don't think they enjoyed it as much as my older children did. I never hear my kids ever mentioning the trips there nor ever thinking about going back to Disneyworld. When my adult children go on vacation, they take their children to island resorts and other warm places that are relaxing. I can see were she is terrified of flying, one of my sons told me he will never get on a plane again, he is 37 years old. I told him you went on a plane when you were 10, and he responded, "I had no choice." I don't know what will change your daughters mind on going to a big airport or flying. You can take her there on a dry run and see how she feels about the airport. This has to be so frightning for her to not want to go to Disneyworld. I haven't read any of the other words of advice, but if you would like mine, I would cancel the trip and find something fun that you can do that doesn't need flying by plane. Good luck with your decision and a Happy and Healthy New Year "2010", Love Jo

Hi Deanna,

Wow, I am having the exact same problem. My five year old daughter saw a news piece on the Christmas Day bombing attempt and is also very worried as we have a trip planned for February to Disneyworld. I explained to her about the Air Marshall aboad every plane and how he is there to protect us. I told her that he wears regular clothes so that no one knows who he is. I also talked to her about the security at the airport and how it is there to make sure no harmful things get on a plane. Hopefully, this helps. Let me know if you think of anything else as I would also love to hear suggestions on how to ease my daughter's anxiety about our upcoming plane ride.