The American Academy of Pediatrics offers the following advice to parents in assisting with their children's emotional health in the wake of terrorism or other disaster:

1. It's important to communicate to children that they are safe. Given what they may have seen on television, they need to know that violence is isolated to certain areas and they will not be harmed. Parents should try to assure children that they've done everything they can to keep their children safe.

2. Adolescents in particular can be hard hit by these kinds of events, and parents might want to watch for signs such as sleep disturbances, fatigue, lack of pleasure in activities enjoyed previously, and initiation of illicit substance abuse.

3. Overexposure to the media can be traumatizing. It's unwise to let children or adolescents view footage of traumatic events over and over. Children and adolescents should not watch these events alone.

4. Adults need to help children understand the significance of these events. Discussion is critical. It should be stressed that terrorist acts are ones of desperation and hate. Children should know that lashing out at members of a particular religious or ethnic group will only cause more harm.

Fevers In Children Are A Normal, Healthy Response

Parents often worry about their children getting fevers. For years, many authorities have stated that fevers are a normal part of a child's defense system. However, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics, parents' fears about fevers have not changed significantly in 20 years.

The author of the study, Dr. Michael Crocetti of John's Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, described parents' misconceptions: "In some parents' minds, childhood fevers are linked to the risk of brain damage, seizures, and even death. This fever fear may result in parents over-medicating their children. These types of fears are most likely passed down from generation to generation . . . if you look back over the centuries, fever was thought to be the worst thing that could happen to you."

In his study, Crocetti questioned 340 health care providers, including parents and grandparents, on their thoughts about childhood fevers. Comparing the new findings with those from a similar study conducted 20 years ago, the researchers found that 56% of participants were "very worried" about the potential harm of fever in their children.

As Paula Elbert, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center, notes, "Fever is not a disease; it's a signal that the body is working to battle an invasion from bacteria or a virus. Far from a sign that something has gone horribly wrong, a fever can actually be an indication that the body is actively fighting illness." Dr. Elbert explained, "Fever signals the immune system to produce antibodies and, in fact, taking away a fever may even hamper the induction of the immune system to do its job. It's not necessarily a direct horror show if you take the fever down, but the fever can have a positive function."

The study also indicated that because of the fear of fever, parents are often over-medicating children who run a temperature. The research team found that 14% of parents gave acetaminophen and 44% gave ibuprofen at rates that were too frequent. "This practice increases the potential for toxicity from the medications," Crocetti added. "It is going to take a real concerted effort on behalf of pediatricians and other healthcare providers to help parents understand what fever is and how to handle it."