When the World Feels Like a Scary Place - Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Kids

An urgent and necessary book, When the World Feels Like a Scary Place brings solutions to a problem that is only going to get worse--how bad things happening in the world affect our children, and how we can raise engaged and confident kids in spite of them. It's an understatement to say we live in an age of anxiety. Political polarization, school shootings, income inequality, climate issues, sexual harassment, and more--whether it's on the news or hitting closer to home, it's impossible to tune out. Problem is, most children can't put these issues in perspective, and parents, often anxious themselves, can have a hard time talking to their kids without making it worse. Dr. Abigail Gewirtz, a child psychologist and leading expert on families under stress, now offers a clear and truly practical guide to having the kind of tough conversations with your kids that really help. But it's not just how to talk to your kids, it's also what to say: The heart of the book is a series of conversation scripts, with actual dialogue, talking points, prompts, and insightful asides, each tailored for different ages and centered around different issues. She shows how to let the child lead. How to not make the problem worse by saying more than a child needs to know. How to check in with yourself to make sure your own anxiety doesn't color the conversation. Along the way are tips about staying calm in an anxious world; the different ways children react to stress, and how parents can read the signs; and how parents can make sure they stay on the same page (stress often causes a rift between parents--Dr. Abi gives advice for dealing with this together). It's a book needed now more than ever, offering a path of wholeness and security for both anxious parents and worried kids.

List of contents

Table of Contents
Introduction: Trampolines 
PART 1: The Age of Anxiety 
Chapter 1: Parents Matter Now More Than Ever
Chapter 2: What Bad News Does to (Us) Parents 
Chapter 3: Nature, Nurture, and the Parent–Child Dance
PART 2: Understanding Emotions 
Chapter 4: Teaching Children About Emotions 
Chapter 5: Help Kids Respond to Big Emotions 
Chapter 6: Coaching Emotions 
PART 3: Essential Conversations
How Do I Talk with My Child? 
Chapter 7: Conversations About Violence
Chapter 8: Conversations About Natural Disasters and Climate Change 
Chapter 9: Conversations About the Perils of Technology
Chapter 10: Conversations About Social Justice
Chapter 11: Conversations About Our Divided Society
Epilogue: “Take Ten” to Help Children Grow into Confident,
Compassionate, and Civil Adults
PART 4: Bonus Conversations
Feeling Scared During the COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic
When a Parent Deploys 
Resources 
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index

About the author

Dr. Abi Gewirtz is a child psychologist and a leading expert on families under stress. She is a Professor in the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development (ranked the world’s third-leading institution of its kind),. Her career has been devoted to developing and testing award-winning, skills-based parenting programs, like the U.S. military After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools/ADAPT, that promote children’s resilience. Dr. Gewirtz has published more than 60 articles, book chapters, and a book on parenting and children’s resilience. She is Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Psychology, a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Psychological Science, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Prevention Research. She has consulted to national and international organizations including the U.S. Congress, and UNICEF, on parenting. She has conducted research in the United States, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and has been invited to speak widely, in the U.S. and across the world, on parenting in times of stress. A native of London, England, Dr. Abi resides in Minnesota with her husband and four children.

Summary

"A terrific book for parents who want to know how to talk about difficult, emotional issues with children."––Nancy Eisenberg, Regents' Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University 

​Includes how to talk to your kids about COVID-19.

In a lifesaving guide for parents, Dr. Abigail Gewirtz shows how to use the most basic tool at your disposal––conversation––to give children real help in dealing with the worries, stress, and other negative emotions caused by problems in the world, from active shooter drills to climate change.

But it's not just how to talk to your kids, it's also what to say: The heart of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place is a series of conversation scripts––with actual dialogue, talking points, prompts, and insightful asides––that are each age-appropriate and centered around different issues. Along the way are tips about staying calm in an anxious world; the way children react to stress, and how parents can read the signs; and how parents can make sure that their own anxiety doesn't color the conversation. Talking and listening are essential for nurturing resilient, confident, and compassionate children. And conversation will help you manage your anxieties too, offering a path of wholeness and security for everyone in the family. 

"Remarkable... Compelling advice illustrated with memorable case examples."––Ann S. Masten, PhD, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development, University of Minnesota 
 

Additional text

"When the World Feels Like a Scary Place is a much-needed resource to help families navigate anxiety in an uncertain world." - Booklist 

“[When the World Feels Like a Scary Place] equips parents with concrete techniques for broaching sensitive subjects…. [this] guide is essential reading for parents who want to prepare their families to face today’s challenges without fear.”   - BookPage

 

Product details

• Authors: Abigail Gewirtz
• Publisher: Workman Publishing
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.07.2020
• EAN: 9781523508310
• ISBN: 978-1-5235-0831-0
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 216 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Health; Non-fiction book > Psychology, esoterics, spirituality, anthroposophy > Applied psychology; FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Parenting / General, Advice on parenting, Parenting: advice and issues