Provoking Anxiety

UPDATE:  Soon after writing the post, below, new information revealed that there has been a case of swine flu among elementary students in Montclair!  Gulp!  Now what do we tell our kids?

Swine flu has arrived in Essex County.

Weeks ago, my son heard about it from other kids, of course.  Then, it became a discussion at school, with lots of emphasis on handwashing because, really, what more can a little kid do to prevent a pandemic?!  I'm not completely sure how this was handled by grown-ups at school (see post, below), but my little worrier became, well, much more worried.

He had some tough questions, such as, "If Jacob coughs on me, will I die?"

There's a page on the BOE web site about the issue. And that's fine.  But I worry about the anxiety to which we sometimes subject children.  I'm guilty of it myself at times, but at least I have some control over that.  I like this resource from The National Ass'n of School Nurses, Talking to Kids About Swine Flu.  It makes a good argument for assuaging anxiety even as you address the very scary and real threat of this disease. [NOTE: Blogger is having indigestion today and the previous link may not work.  Just do a google search: "National Association of School Nurses" "swine flu".  I'll fix the link.  Eventually.]

Which brings up a larger (and, admittedly, much less immediate) issue.  And that's how schools handle other social and health concerns, such as drug education (e.g. DARE), sex education, and even global warming.  I have problems with some of the programs created around these issues, which comes as a surprise to many who know me.   I guess everyone assumes that a fairly open-minded, progressive person would support such things. Problem is, I have a certain way I want these very crucial, complex, and personal issues broached.  I'm not sure such topics should be handled by committee, in an assembly, or by posting ominous signs in the hallway with constant reminders about handwashing or just saying 'no' to drugs. 

For instance, in the case of my own children, who are adopted, talk of reproduction is LOADED. (One book we use is Flight of the Stork, which I highly recommend.) Furthermore, there's research that shows drug education programs like DARE don't work--and may even tempt kids further.  (Do a Google search to see what I mean.) And the whole global warming thing--well, my son is convinced we grown-ups have completely wrecked the future for him.  

Let me know how your school has handled this impending epidemic, or anything related!