Laura Bush Offers Advice on 'Oprah'

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/19/2001 at 11:24 AM EDT

First lady Laura Bush appeared Tuesday on Oprah Winfrey's syndicated TV show, where she urged parents to hug their children and talk to them in the wake of the deadly attacks in the country. "I feel like everyone does -- sadness, anxiety -- but I know that everything is being done to make sure that America is safe," Bush said in the session that was taped in Winfrey's Chicago studios. Bush, a former librarian, suggested during the hour that parents "put their arms around children and reassure them," and offer patience and a calm atmosphere so that children can openly discuss their feelings about the attacks. "It might become a little irritating, but try to realize that they are trying to cope with the same feelings as adults," she emphasized. "All the feelings we have are natural," Bush said. "The feelings of sadness, or the feelings of anger, or the feelings of anxiety, or uncertainty or confusion."