We can never know what our children are thinking or what secrets they are keeping from us. All too often, children and teens are afraid to share experiences with their parents that they experience as shameful or overwhelming. In their attempt to cope on their own, they draw on woefully inadequate, and sometimes destructive, thoughts and behaviors. One thing that parents can do to help, is bring up difficult issues proactively. The library has a large collection of child-friendly books on all sorts of topics (bullying, abuse, addictions, self-harm, obsessions, divorce, depressed feelings, anxiety and so on) that can be read and discussed with youngsters. These books do NOT cause children to develop problems they don't have! They open discussion and provide badly needed education and prevention. Parents can also ensure that they are approachable by staying calm and relaxed when discussing these kind of topics, indicating by their tone and behavior that they accept, understand, and can help, with the hard side of life.
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