“Why?”

“Why” is one of the words young kids tend to wear out even more than the welcome “Mom” and “Dad.”  As parents, our job of answering that one word wonder of wonder truly never ends.  No matter how young or old our kids are, it is part of a parent’s eternal mission in life to answer our kids’ curiosity, and teach them the ways of the world to the best of our ability and experience.  This mission has perhaps become more challenging in this age of information overload.  With all forms of media constantly blaring news and information at every digital turn, our kids today are exposed to a constant stream of data to pique their progressive interest and occasionally cause concern.

DAYS OF SWINE AND ROSES…

My kids are asking, “Why is everyone worried about the flu???  Are you worried???”  The current rage of current events is clearly the news of the H1N1 “swine” flu pandemic.  The “media” seems to be reporting on every new case throughout the world, and in doing so raising awareness, and, in my humble opinion, fear, to disproportionate levels.  Needless to say, my kids have been discussing the flu, asking me questions, and bringing home stories from school, along with rumors of pending school closings (“Flu days”???) because of unnamed students with flu like symptoms.  While I want them to be informed and reasonably concerned, I also want them to be realistic and I don’t want them to live their lives in fear.  The truth is, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention  (www.cdc.gov), in the United States as of May 3, 2009 at 11:00 am ET there have been 226 cases of the H1N1 flu and 1 reported death (and the media has reported that the one death in Texas was a child who had entered the U.S. from Mexico, already quite ill).  I have shared this information with my kids and reiterated common sense preventative measures, almost all of which point back to basic good health and hygiene practices.

“… THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF”  – Franklin D. Roosevelt

I certainly do not want to diminish the concerns for the flu, nor the impact it has had on the families afflicted so far, but we have to live our lives (and help our kids live theirs) with balance and good sense, but not constant fear.  If we lived in constant fear, we would never get in an automobile.  While there have been a few hundred cases of the now feared flu and one related death in the U.S., in our country every year we lose approximately 40,000 lives to automobile related fatalities.  That is on average more than 100 deaths a day, in the U.S. alone.  Imagine if the national media reported on each and every car fatality in the same fashion as the flu pandemic now leads the news.  As a parent, I am far more worried and concerned about the fact that my kids drive in cars every day than I ever will be worried about the current spread of the flu. Yes, they should be aware.  Yes, they should take reasonable care and precautions.  No, they should not be afraid.  As a parent, I want to protect my kids and inform them and guide them, and keep them happy and to do so I feel I must lean toward good sense and away from too much fear.  Sometimes the media and our data filled world makes that difficult.

How about you?  Do you agree, or do you think I am simply justifying my own fear of fear?  What discussions have you had with your children about the current flu scare?  Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 20, Ethan, 18 and Olivia, 17).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes! and Social Networking Rehab.

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