How to talk to your children about war when it dominates the news

Research consistently shows that how families talk about distressing world events matters more than whether children are exposed to them. Children whose parents engage in open, honest, age-appropriate conversations about conflict show fewer anxiety symptoms, greater emotional resilience, and a stronger sense of safety than those left to fill the silence with their own imaginations. You do not need to have perfect answers or to protect your child from every difficult image or conversation. What matters most is your presence, your willingness to listen, and your capacity to sit with difficult feelings alongside your child. Silence does not protect them; it isolates them. And the relationship between parent and child — warm, consistent, and emotionally available — remains the most powerful protective factor against psychological harm, whether the threat is near or far.