Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Should my kids be watching the news? Do I need to include a course on current events in my lesson plans? Mike Smith talks about how important it is for children to understand current events on this week's Home School Heartbeat.

Mike Smith:
It was over 100 years ago when humorist Will Rogers once said sarcastically, "All I know is what I read in the newspapers." Rogers never missed an opportunity to make fun of the news media of his day. And if he lived in modern times he would have much more material for his jokes.


Today the news industry has expanded well beyond what anyone living 100 years ago could have imagined. In the era of 24-hour cable news and the perpetual Internet, the news truly never sleeps.


How can a parent handle this? Should we allow children to watch the 6:00 news? Should we let them read the daily paper? We don't want our children bombarded with too much news, or confronted with adult issues at too young an age. But we know that they must someday understand how to interpret what they read in the newspaper and see on television.


And who better to help them learn to process the news than you, their loving parent? You can help your children begin to understand not only what is happening around the world, but how it may affect their lives, as well. And during your discussions, don't hesitate to point out the providence of God displayed in the events of the day. And until next time, I'm Mike Smith.