Moms Talk: Talking About Osama bin Laden With Your Kids

A comment making the rounds this week after the on Friday and the death of on Sunday was, "First the pretty girl gets her prince, then the bad guy dies. When did this weekend turn into a Disney movie?"

Unfortunately, the news around bin Laden's demise was not kid-friendly. His heinous deeds in being the ringleader of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the effects of the attacks, were not a fairy tale but the stuff of nightmares.

What happened afterwards -- two wars, more death and destruction -- are also difficult subjects for kids to understand.

And, whatever you feel about bin Laden's death, what's gotten out about it may be upsetting or confusing for young minds.

Death is normally a sad thing, so they may not be able to understand why people were celebrating in the streets. The violent details -- images of the blood-spattered room where bin Laden died, facts like that a woman had been killed while being used as a human shield and that bin Laden was shot through his left eye -- could give some kids nightmares.

All this talk of death may lead to questions for kids about grief. Does having bin Laden killed make the families of the people he killed feel better? What do you want to teach your children about justice and revenge?

And then there's what happens now. This bad guy is gone. But there are more bad guys out there. And, in some parts of the world, they're the heroes and Americans are the bad guys. How do you explain that to kids in a way that makes sense but doesn't lead them to believe that or people who live in the Middle East think like that?

As always, joining us on Moms Talk is our wonderful Moms Council:

 is our parenting columnist. Julie, a longtime reporter and communications professional, is a first-time mom of a son born in November.

 works in healthcare. She and husband Timothy have a daughter, Amara. Monina is also a member of the Disney Moms Panel, one of 15 moms selected nationwide, advising people online about planning Disney vacations.

 is a mom of three children ages 5 and under with her husband, Bill. She also works part-time.

 is a native of New Jersey. She is a marketing professional who has worked in advertising, market research, vending and equipment companies. She and her husband live in Avon with their two children.

 is a mom to a Girl Scout and lives in Avon.

So, as Linda Richman used to say on "Coffee Talk" ... Talk amongst yourselves.