Be prepared to talk about war with
your children.

Introduction

What do children understand about war? More than you may think. Experts in child psychology say that American children today, who have absorbed news of the attacks of September 11, are likely to have more of a fix on the nature of war than their peers of previous generations.

"It's not as foreign a concept as it might have been in years past," says Mary Polce-Lynch, assistant professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. "Because of the terrorist attacks, war is not going to be as abstract to most of our children. We have experienced a massive killing recently and many of them know what that means."

This makes it all the more important that parents and caregivers prepare for how children will react to war and its many effects. How you behave and how you address your children on the topic of war should vary, based on the age and temperament of your child or children. Infants and toddlers obviously require different approaches than school-aged kids and teens. But in all cases, it pays to be aware of developmental differences. Here's advice on what to say and when to say it.