How to talk to our kids about traumatic events, according to a 9/11 responder

Anderson’s core message for parents struggling with difficult disclosure decisions is quite simple: “Your children are ready to hear about what’s going on in the world — from you.” That’s much better, he argues, than their hearing about it from others — especially someone who’s not “a close attachment figure” with whom children can more easily process their feelings. “The real question is,” he prods, “are you ready to tell them?”