Kyria

Editor's note: On the morning of September 11, 2001, I sat in a conference room at this magazine's headquarters with about 30 colleagues.We had gathered in the conference room to watch news coverage as talk of terrorism slipped down the hallways. I remember watching tower after tower fall and hearing the gasps of my co-workers. I remember shaking, feeling sick and afraid and dumbfounded.. I remember the time of prayer we shared and the way our fears were laid before our mighty God. I remember being lost in that fear when my friend, and former CPT associate editor, Jennifer Mangan (see page 36), leaned over, touched my shoulder, and asked, "How does it feel bringing a child into a world like this?"

Three months pregnant with my first child, all I could say was, "I don't know. Scary."

In reality, I suppose having kids post 9-11 isn't any scarier than it's ever been (certainly not for parents in cultures other than our own), but to a middle-America mom like myself, the world has changed. While, thank God, at press time, we haven't faced any further terrorist attacks (and I pray we still haven't by the time you read this), the violence in this world hasn't abated. A U.S.-led war on terror rages and plenty of people around the globe would still literally kill to destroy our country and its people.

We know this and, according to the Gallup Organization, so do our kids. In this article, Tim Smith, a research fellow at the George H. Gallop International Institute, lets us know how to help our kids feel secure in a dangerous world.

—C.D.R