TALKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR

by William & Mary Wicker Van Ornum Van Ornum ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 4, 1984

Parents should talk to their children about nuclear war, assert the Van Ornums (Crisis Counseling with Children)--who then manage only to talk around the issue. They cite research data and provide anecdotes about how nuclear war is on children's minds, and they discuss the difficulty of addressing the topic. But on the actualities of what to say, there is a void. The Van Ornums state that they have ""carefully avoided"" taking a position ""on either side of the political spectrum."" With young children, they suggest that parents ""listen carefully, and answer only what has been asked. Tell the truth."" Parents of teens might pose exploratory questions: e.g., ""How does all this talk about nuclear war affect you?"" Parents must also recognize the need for ""Respecting Other Viewpoints"" and ""Allowing Young People to Make Their Own Decisions"" (two of the sections in the ""Talking Together"" chapter). Even the dialogues are left hanging (""Perhaps you can think of alternative ways of handling this discussion""); even the religious perspective is only another set of descriptions. (Yes, says Bishop Hubbard, the US Catholic bishops ""felt that at least we had a direction to offer."") Sadly inadequate.

Pub Date: June 4, 1984

ISBN: 1579109373

Page Count: -

Publisher: Continuum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1984

Categories: NONFICTION