"Kids are hearing about and often must cope with tough issues such as violence at increasingly earlier ages, often before they are ready to understand all the aspects of complicated situations. Yet, there is hope. Parents and other caring adults have a unique opportunity to talk with their children about these issues first, before everyone else does."

These words introduce a brief booklet that provides a number of communication strategies and tips, as well as a list of organisations and resources for further information, on talking to children about violence. One section features questions a child might ask - and provides suggested answers. For example:

Question: "In the movies, guys like Steven Seagal and Arnold Schwarzenegger fight all the time and everybody says they're heroes. How come?"

Answer: "The people you mentioned are actors playing a part; if they acted like that in real life, they'd probably be in jail or dead. I don't think anyone who relies on violence all the time is very smart or brave at all".

Talking With Kids About Tough Issues is a national (USA) initiative by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation to encourage parents to talk with their children earlier and more often about issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, and alcohol and drug abuse. The campaign includes public service messages that have appeared in printed mass media and television broadcasts. The campaign provides free resources for parents, including website that includes listings of national and local parent resources.

Click here for the booklet in HTML format.

Click here for the booklet in PDF format.