If a close member of your family or a close family friend were to be sentenced to jail, would you keep that fact from your children?

I think it would depend on how old my children were at the time. If I felt they were old enough, then I would tell them, even if it hurt for me to say it and for them to hear it. It's not the kind of thing I'd like to keep from them because one way or the other, it would come out.

If I thought they were too young, then I'd say the relative had travelled or something and then not tell the truth until they were older.

If a close member of our family is going to jail, I will not keep the fact to the children. But I will be very careful on how to explain the situation to them so that they will not be traumatized about it. Depending on their age and the level of their understanding, I have to thoroughly explain to them choosing my words carefully that their elder brother, for e.g.Is going to serve a term in jail because he did something that is against the law.

I know that it would be important to be honest to them so that they will learn a lesson in life that whatever they are going to do they have to face the consequences of their action. Children are very smart so I think I should not underestimate the capacity of their mind and the ability of how they perceive things around them. Maybe they would be upset but that is a reality of life.

Protecting them by keeping things from them won't help them face the real world. And I don't want that to happen to them.

It depends on how old the child is -- obviously telling a four-year-old wouldn't work out, since he or she won't understand it -- but if he or she's old enough to understand, I'd tell that child. If I'm not the one to do it, someone else invariably will. And their version of the story would probably include taunting.It's already traumatic enough -- why should I risk having some bully make it worse for my child?

One thing I would stress is that this in no way reflects on the child. Sometimes people can think stuff like this is somehow their fault. Of course it isn't, but children might not recognize it at first.

No, we are in that situation and the children know that their uncles can't behave themselves long enough to stay out of jail for very long. Even though they love their uncles, they understand that there's a penalty for breaking the law. Maybe it will encourage them to stay out of trouble themselves.

We want to protect our children from harm, but I think the earlier that they learn about what real life is like, the better off they are. Once they are five or six they begin to have a pretty good grasp of what is real and what isn't and they know when we're trying to cover up something. Learning to deal with unpleasant situations early in life helps us to deal with stress when we're older, too.

Here is a link to an excellent article on helping children learn to manage stress.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.