War is horrific. And it is daily in the news. In addition to grappling with the trauma it brings, parents have another worry:  how to explain it to their children.

As much as parents strive to shield children from violence in the news, it’s impossible to do so, as they hear things on the playground or even from older siblings. Rather than waiting for children to bring up the subject, experts suggest parents should initiate the conversation, first gauging what they already know or have heard. A child psychologist at the telehealth provider Kry suggests, “The key takeaway as parents is making sure you are providing an environment where they feel safe and comfortable to talk about anything that is weighing on them.” Although war comes with few easy answers, it is important to answer children’s questions in an honest, developmentally-appropriate way.

In this informative article from HuffPost, four experts share the most frequent questions children ask about war and the best ways to handle them:

• Why is there war?
• What’s happening to the people there?
• Am I in danger?
• What about this thing I saw on TikTok or heard at school?
• Can we help?
• Are you scared?
• What’s going to happen?
• I’m still worried. What do I do?

To read their valuable advice on discussing war with children, read the full article here.

Bologna, Caroline. “8 Questions Kids Are Asking About War and How to Answer Them.” HuffPost, 16 Mar 2022, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/questions-kids-are-asking-about-war_l_6230f051e4b0b62820298f2a

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