Colman Noctor: Shielding children from the barrage of bad news 

"While I knew that something was happening in the North by catching a glimpse of a car or building on fire on the six o’clock news, I was largely unaware of the details and had little or no insight into what it was all about."

Pic: iStock

I HAVE often written about how we should talk to children about difficult events. In the two years since I started writing this weekly column, I have discussed this theme in the context of murdered schoolteacher Ashling Murphy; Deirdre Morely, who killed her three children; the war in Ukraine; the pandemic; the horrific events in Gaza; and the shocking stabbings in Dublin’s Parnell Square last week.

The 2001 terrorist attack on the US on September 11 was the last global crisis that occurred before the pandemic. Some describe these events as “once-in-a-century” occurrences. However, we have heard repeated news stories about disturbing international events within the past three years.