Today's world is very different from the one most American parents grew up in. But even as adults rush to turn off scary TV images and hide newspapers from curious eyes, no child can be completely sheltered from the harsh realities of war, terror alerts, and crime-and the steady stream of information they get going to school, walking past the newsstands, and watching the neighbors' TVs. How can parents best answer questions like "Why do some people want to hurt us?" "What is anthrax?" and "Am I safe at school?"... and still raise healthy, confident children?
In a quest to find answers that would comfort and satisfy her own two sons, award-winning journalist Willow Bay looked at the latest research, interviewed a host of experts in the fields of child psychology and development, and collected the most frequently asked questions from kids ages three to nine. The result is a sensitive and practical primer for parents challenged by today's turbulent times. In it, Willow offers:
• Age-appropriate role-playing scripts to help you answer the most commonly asked questions
• Guidance on how to separate your own fears from your kid's-and see the world through his or her eyes
• Tips on how to evaluate what your children see on television-and when to turn it off
• Ways to find out what information-or misinformation-your child is getting outside the home
• Advice on what to do when your child asks no questions at all
• Insights on the questions your child does ask-because they may be different from what he or she really wants to know.
Most of all, she shows you how to build an open, loving, and permanent line of communication with your children…at a time when they need it most.
THE RIGHT WORDS FOR HARD TIMES
Questions you never thought you'd hear....Answers you don't have-on school shootings, child abductions, hatred, terrorism, war.... If you're a parent today, you realize how hard it is to know what your children are thinking and feeling-as you try to assess how much information they have and how much they actually need. Drawing on the advice of leading child psychologists and written by journalist and mother Willow Bay, this book will help you perform the delicate and difficult task of making your child feel safe in an often frightening world.
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