NATCHEZ &045; In the age of 24-hour news, parents need to be aware of how much their children &045; and themselves &045; are exposed to images and news about the Iraq war.

That’s the advice of Natchez psychologist Dr. Patricia Pintard, who said parents should &uot;listen more than they talk&uot; as their children learn about the war.

&uot;Parents have unfortunately very little to say about what their children know,&uot; she said.

Because we are in such a &uot;news-saturated&uot; environment, Pintard said, parents should talk to their children about the war and answer questions about their fears.

She cautions parents about letting their children watch too much news, but she acknowledges that with so much information out there, parents will not know what their children are hearing.

Adults, too, should be aware of how much news they watch, Pintard said.

&uot;They need to do what I do, get themselves out and to work,&uot; she said.

With all of the negative news out there &045; from war to the shaky economy &045; &uot;it’s not a healthy situation,&uot; Pintard said. &uot;We need to spend time doing healthy things.

Pintard noted that the fears we face now have always been around &045; but not with quite so much immediacy.

&uot;If certain things happen in Tibet, we used to not worry about it,&uot; she said. &uot;Now, with the global aspects (of society) if something happens in Tibet, it’s almost like it happened next door.

&uot;We talk about making a world community,&uot; she said. &uot;But there is a price to pay for that.&uot;

But Pintard also sees a positive example parents can give their children in this war: standing up for what you believe in.

&uot;One of the best things parents can use in this horrible experience in our world right now is that there are times we must all stand up for what we believe in,&uot; she said.

&uot;We can’t be sure that what we are doing is right, but it is what makes us people of integrity.&uot;