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

by Abigail Gewirtz

"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 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   

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Adult, Mental Health, Self Help

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2020

About the author

Abigail Gewirtz is a child psychologist, leading expert on families under stress, mother of four, and the author of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place, out from Workman July 2020.

Reviews

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the World Feels Like a Scary Place is a good book to have on your shelf especially during these times! My usually happy, joyful 6 year old has become incredibly anxious during these COVID-19 times. Suddenly he is constantly worried...whether it is that people he knows are going to get sick or die or being frightened of thunderstorms, he is definitely feeling the stress of these times.

This book is a guide for conversations that parents can have with their kids to help the kids feel better. The author encourages determining how they feel and asking questions but not divulging more information than is age appropriate. There were many sample conversations included in the book and for each one the author pointed out what was good and bad about the conversation. The conversations ranged over a variety of topics from being worried about bullying, technology, natural disasters or weather, and other issues that are truly divisive in today's society. There was even a chapter on COVID-19 and how to discuss it.

I was able to glean several tips from this book that I am hoping to use to better comfort my kids. Let's face it, this stuff has me stressed out to and I could use the help. I know conversations about feelings are not my forte so it is good to see this advice from a child psychologist.

I listened to the book on audio over the course of a couple of days and it was a good listen. The book was read by Robin Miles who had a nice soothing but emotive manner.

Thank you to the publisher for the audio book in exchange for an honest review!

[Laura Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a first time parent, I have spent hundreds of hours over the past 4 years reading books, articles, position papers, blogs, and any other piece of literature that I can put my hands on to help figure out how to parent. As my daughter has grown into a very perspective preschooler, I have had many conversations with my husband about how difficult some conversations are going to be for me. As our daughter entered preschool this year, just nine hours a week, I wondered what kind of conversations we'd have to have throughout the year.

So, I researched. I read more. I read about stress and anxiety, how to approach big topics, and so much more. I read dozens of things from dozens of sources.

If only this book had been available back then; I would've saved so much time! This is now going to be the number one parenting book that I recommend. It is absolutely essential reading for parents in this uncertain, troubling time. Dr. Abigail Gewirtz is a child psychologist that specializes in anxiety, and as she noticed her patient load exploding over the past few years with anxious children and even more anxious parents, she began to write. And what she wrote is truly helpful. She believes that we can truly help our children through having "essential conversations" and doing so in a way that is engaging, calm, and thoughtfully considered. She references another psychologist's "emotion coaching" as a valuable tool, and how it is our jobs as parents to help our children learn how to process and discuss their emotions and anxieties.

This book first helps us as adults understand our own experiences, feelings, stresses and how to manage our own anxiety process. Until we understand ourselves, how can we help our children? She then goes into a short debrief ages - the book is applicable for children age 3 through 18 - and what common anxieties are, as well as how we should best approach conversation. Then, the crux of the book. Dr. Gewirtz breaks her chapters into outside/world events, violence/bullying, climate and environmental stressors, relentless tech and media exposure, economic inequality, and political polarization. She has no "agenda" or political leanings that come across in any way. It is clearly simply her mission to help parents navigate these difficult topics. There are dozens of practice conversations in the book, both ones that show harmful approaches and then helpful counterparts.

I felt an enormous sense of peace reading this book. It will equip you to handle things that it is terrible we even have to think about, but having these kinds of tools in our parenting tool belt will help me face such hard conversations with newfound confidence.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some good ideas about talking to your kids in a calm and productive manner. It has techniques for defusing anger with compassion, and managing stress and anxiety when your children are confronted with difficult issues.

There are example conversations and situations that deal with circumstances like bullying, immigration, social justice, climate change, violence, activism, technology, and more. Some of the issues are definitely following a political agenda, instead of just giving general advice. I didn't like that the author was pushing politics and a leftist world-view.

It seems like the book focuses mostly on the negative, and magnifies issues that aren't really that bad. If a circumstance really is bad, then of course it needs to be acknowledged and addressed. But it would be better to put things in perspective, get the facts, and find out if the situation is really so horrible, before you get your kids all worried about it. I felt like this book has a victim mentality, and a doomsday attitude.

There are a few good ideas in here, but overall I did not like the underlying philosophy of the book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to When the World Feels Like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Kids because of the description. Specifically, I was thinking of the way my 6 year old has been asking questions about the COVID-19 pandemic, and the way he asked me if he was going to get “shooted” after he began doing active-shooter lockdown drills in school. I was also thinking of his “uncle” (my husband’s cousin), who died by suicide a couple years ago and whom my son still mentions periodically. I was thinking of my husband’s grandfather, who passed last July. I was thinking of my elderly dog, whose eventual (no! live forever, sweet girl!) passing is sure to devastate all of us. And after I began reading it, I was also thinking of the murder of George Floyd and the resultant protests and conversations about racism and social inequalities.

I was hoping to (basically) be handed some tools to make these difficult conversations flow a little bit better, and have a more productive structure. But I felt that the real strength of the book was in the preliminary chapters, where the author discusses recognizing emotions, teaching an emotions vocabulary, and enacting engaged listening. These aren’t new topics. But they were shared in a way that reminded me how powerful these tools can be, and motivated me to try them again with my son. He is a very impatient person and feels his emotions very strongly. It’s hard to engage him in a meaningful conversation about his feelings and emotions because he gets fed up with this very quickly. He wants to talk about HIS PROBLEM, not his feelings. He definitely won’t sit still for a long conversation, let alone a lecture. His father is also not one to “indulge” in emotions-exploring or validating, which may have compounded the difficulty. So, the early chapters of this book are something we will all work on together. I really felt motivated by the early chapters and would wholeheartedly endorse them to any parent.

The actual conversations about topics were hit-and-miss for me. Many of them were skewed towards older children, which is completely fine; I can restructure language for a child my son’s age. However, the conversational dialogues were all very wordy and lengthy. Some of them came across as lecture-y, or could be perceived that way by kids (read: by MY kid). I could easily imagine my son losing his patience and his temper with such a long exchange. I think one thing that the author could have mentioned is that sometimes the de-escalation period for intense emotions takes a LOT longer and is more sensitive than some children than with others, and sometimes ends differently than you’d expect. For example, the author describes the parent and child taking “breathers” and coming back later to resume the discussion. I’ve tried something like this and basically a re-visit of the discussion caused my son to lose his temper with impatience that he had to “talk about this, again, UGH"! I learned that sometimes just hearing him out and acknowledging his feelings was all he really wanted, and that a re-visit to the topic later was actually counterproductive. Each situation is different and every child is different. My takeaway from the book in general was the positivity I felt about acknowledgement and validation of emotions and feelings and the engaged listening process. I don’t how useful the conversation examples will be to me; time will tell.

I also think that the conversation examples really are predicated on a parent/parent team that have A LOT OF TIME to engage with their children. Sometimes I have a lot of time. Sometimes, I don’t. I was hoping for more examples that might help a parent who is on their own and in a hurry – how can they successfully engage in the time they have? Not everyone can drop everything when you’re late for school, late for work, etc. How could this parent handle the situation with success? Another situation I would have liked to see explored is dealing with a child having strong feelings/emotions when there is another needy child present. For example, I also have a 19-month old son. It is difficult to give the full focus my older son wants and frankly, needs, when I have a toddler underfoot who becomes upset when he loses my attention. This sort of triage parenting is a situation I would like more guidance on and examples for, and I really didn’t see it so much here. Lastly, I should point out that this book skews liberal. This was not an issue for me in the least, but I could imagine some parents who feel strongly otherwise discounting the book because of it.

Overall I think this book was very interesting, and I would recommend the first half, at least, to every parent. A productive discussion of emotions and engaged listening can only help parents to have a better relationship with their children, and certainly better communication. The dialogue/conversation examples may prove also to be very helpful to most parents; I know they will give me a starting point.

Thank you to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great on facilitating conversations that correspond to specific hard topics with your child. However, listening to it from beginning to end is very repetitive and tedious. I would suggest reading only the chapters that apply to or interest you, as most chapters repeat the same advice.

[Ann T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Workman Oublishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

It’s only June and 2020 has been a big year for everyone somfar. Before COVid struck our family had already undergone a few months of big change and unfamiliarilty with an overseas move, bushfires and other unruly weather patterns just to keep us on our toes.

This book has been a great tool to remind me, as a parent, to ensure that in challenging times my emotions are displayed in a healthy manner and that in turn I can help my children through tough times by first ‘wearing my own oxygen mask’.

I liked the red light, green light analogy used throughout the book and found the examples provided in the second half of the book useful.
I recommend this book.

[Samantha Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a parent with a child that was already anxious and had already sought professional help to manage prior to a global pandemic and intensely horrible political climate, I found this book helpful. It gave me some new practical tools. Some food for thought and made me feel a little more empowered. I don't think you could ask for more

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Workman Publishing Company through NetGalley.
Dr. Gewirtz takes parents through coping methods to handle a variety of situations that add stress to life. From natural disasters to violence and even including the current Covid-19 pandemic, Gewirtz provides possible questions and techniques to help children of all ages resolve their feelings and work out coping strategies.
Part One offers expert advice for parents to consider their own responses in various situations. She offers techniques to adopt to help adults focus on children and their responses rather than reacting out of their own emotions and needs. Exercises to try are spaced throughout the chapters
Part Two turns the focus to actual scenarios and provides sample conversations to engage in with children of all ages. Further information is provided for consideration. These are real life scenarios that most families will experience.
This book is designed as one more tool for families to use to cope with life in uncertain times. Information is presented at a level that's easy to follow. Real case examples/scenarios are shared so readers can see themselves and identify their own reactions. Useful for young families and a reference tool for older ones.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is a valuable tool for all parents new and old. I loved the difficult topics this book covers from early years to teenage years and advice on not only topics and scenarios that can arise )especially in todays world), and ways to help you talk through them with your child.
I loved how it gives you talked through scenario examples of how it could go using red lights (not good ways of handling it) and green light (better ways of handling it).
I urge all parents to give this book a go. Its definitely given me some food for thought.

[Mystic KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lifesaving guide for parents, Dr Gerwirtz show how you can use the most basic tools at a parents disposal - Conversation - to give children real and interactive help in dealing with worries, stress and any other negative emotions. Emotions which are caused by problems in the world, from all types of problems which can arise in modern society.

But it is not just about how you talk to your children, it is also what you say to them. The heart of this book is a series of conversational scripts - it has actual dialogue, talking points and prompts which give you insights which can be adapted to be age appropriate and different situations. Throughout the book there are tips about how to stay calm in an anxious world - it helps to give parents an insight into how children react to stress and how parents can read the signs and makes sure that their own anxiety doesn't filter into the conversation. The act of talking and listening is essential for nurturing confident and compassionate children. Conversations will help you manage your own anxieties too offering a path of wholeness and security for everyone in the family.

This book has actually helped me in the last 18 months when i have been dealing with my oldest has came out as trans. It has allowed me to have effective conversations with her about her feelings and struggles which she is going through. I have also recommended this to a friend who's only child has started school and she has let me know that this has helped her understand the emotions which her child is going through with all of the adjustments. This is something that i will be recommending to parents and grandparents alike to help them with their children.

[Kali Cannizzaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the World Feels Like a Scary Place
By Abigail Gewirtz, PhD

I was listening to the audiobook version of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place when it hit me- I needed the physical book as well.

This book, with it’s subtitle, “Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents & Worried Kids” is just that. Essential.

I am an avid reader but I am a school psychologist by trade. Anxiety has been a growing concern for the American public for many years. Even our youngest students show signs of emotional dysregulation, whether it be difficulty separating from their parents or acting out behaviorally. Anxiety is often at the root of these behaviors.

This book delves into so many aspects of parenting. I found it most useful as it specifically discusses current sources of anxiety such as gun violence, social injustice, and technology/ social media. There is even an entire section of the book dedicated to the discussion of feelings about COVID-19.

This book is full of information but also provides opportunities for introspection and to practice skills relating to parenting an anxious child, even when experiencing big feelings of one’s own. The author goes as far as providing sample conversations for parents to consider adapting for their own use. This is where the book really impressed me.

I love this book so much that I hope to start a book chat at my place of employment. Kudos to the author for her approachable and realistic discussion about parenting in the world as we now know it.

[Kayleigh Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

When The World Feels Like A Scary Place is the communication guide that parents, educators and any other trusted adult needs to read.

Young people are growing up and into a world unlike any generation before them and the world that they navigate daily is full of anxiety, stress or worry inducing situations. This book explores how trusted adults can help their young people to settle their fears and move beyond them, develop resilience and model thoughtful and effective communication.

The author tackles delicate subject matter (parental deployment, peer on peer abuse, social justice, the impact of extreme weather / natural disasters and other examples of current affairs such as incidents of foreign or domestic terrorism) in a way that helps the reader to see how any of these might create an anxious response in a young person. Dr Gewirtz explores how this could vary depending on the young person’s age, prior knowledge of the situation in hand and/or influence of “fake news”; she aims to equip adults with the skills they need to help the young person manage their big emotions.

The reader is coached through how to identify their own personal stake in an incident (perhaps an early experience of bias would impact the way we choose to address a concern?), understand the importance of “singing from the same hymn sheet” with a co-parent (or where this isn’t the case, using each parent’s strengths to the advantage of the child) and then to identify the young person’s emotional and physical responses at that immediate point in order to set a goal to work towards eg “I feel scared by X now, but I want to feel safe and confident so I can cope if X happens again”.

The broad range of examples given in this book models the principles for communication that are set out by Dr Gewirtz and fair consideration is paid to the emotional maturity of the young person in how the response could be shaped. Age appropriateness is one way that the suggested responses are personalised in this wellbeing guide but it also offers thought towards religious or cultural values which might need to be considered.

In reading this book, I am more aware of my own anxiety triggers, which in turn makes me more confident in supporting my children to address theirs. It has guided me to consider how my own experiences might shape how I would naturally respond to an unexpected trigger (eg child reporting that they have witnessed something upsetting, or heard something from a friend that’s troubled them) and to how to control my emotional response in order to de-escalate (or at the least not inflame) the problem. In being mindful of the adult as a participant in the conversation, it acknowledges the responsibility we have to the young person I helping them to understand how they feel.

As a parent of young children and an educator of teens, I can see so many opportunities for the approach in this book to be applied in real life situations. The author is giving the reader the opportunity to “upskill” the next generation in their emotional intelligence, resilience and communication skills and this makes it essential reading.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy e-book in exchange for a honest review; upon publication I will be purchasing myself a printed copy as a resource for future reference.

[Amanda Pascoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this book is a valuable resource for families. I love that Dr. Gewirtz addressed multiple topics concerning parents and children right now, as well as effective ways to discuss them that allow children to be heard and parents to be reassured. The addition of how to approach issues with different age groups is fantastic, pointing out the need to validate growing independent, critical thinking and individualism--crucial for thriving adults. The advice on how to prepare yourself, as a parent, for tough discussions is great groundwork for open communication throughout the child's life span-- something parents will definitely come to appreciate.

Reading the existing reviews, including concerns about the lack of more in-depth topics, I would say the author's intent seemed to me to be more of a foundational guide to good parent-child conversation. Professionally speaking, anything that concerns a child more heavily should be unpacked with the assistance of a professional counselor. As with all parenting guidance, it is also important that parents use this as a reference, not a script-- engaging with your own children in a valuable way needs to be personal, the author is providing examples, not directives.

I would recommend this book to parents with children of all ages, as they raise the adults of the next generation.

[Kara of BookishBytes · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the World Feels Like a Scary Place is a helpful book for any parent or teacher of children from toddlers to teenagers (though it mostly focuses on helping young school-aged children). Obviously, the world IS a scary place! (I write this in September 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.) Not only do our children have the normal worries of childhood to manage, they now have to manage the fears of a global health crisis.

Dr. Gerwirtz focuses her help for the reader on one key foundational principal: We adults must manage our own reactions to fear and uncertainty and other negative emotions before we can help the children in our lives with them. Easier said than done! She does provide sound advice for the adults, but that isn't her focus. So if the book has a weakness, this is it. If you, as an adult, can't manage your emotions then you'll struggle to help your child manage them.

Nonetheless, she gives great advice for how to walk children through rationally confronting the issues they face and gives examples of how to help children problem solve and calmly face the issues (big and small) in their lives.

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Workman Audio for kindly providing me with a digital audiobook for review.
I can’t think of another time when this book is more needed (writing this during the Covid-19 pandemic). There is even a specific section that deals directly with the pandemic and ways to discuss it with your child, although the scope of what this book goes way beyond the current pandemic.
The book is written in a very accessible way and doesn’t feel too text book. It is peppered throughout with real experience situations, working through the situations and examining how things could have been better dealt with, or why something did work.
It examines greatly the impact of a parent/guardian not managing their own feelings and emotions. And also how issues such as anxiety can so easily be passed onto our children.
I have learned a few new things from listening to this book, however, in my personal experience I’m probably better off listening to an autism specific parenting book, as my children are both autistic and some of these techniques would not be appropriate or effective. The author does repeatedly state though that her advice should be adapted to a families personal situation.
I did enjoy the narration on this book although I found it a slight distraction that the narrator has an American accent, but the author has a British accent. Not a huge point of contest but the book is in first person and I have heard the author speak before so it just didn’t quite tally for me. Small point I know. A good reference guide for patents of all ages. 3.5 stars

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book very interesting and useful. The structure of it was well balance, talking first of more general things, and then goes to the main issue addressing specific situations. The language is simple enough to make it an enjoyable read. The examples were particularly useful, even if sometimes it felt like making a big deal out of something little, but this wasn’t too often.
I love to think there is a tool like, this book, to help parents and caretakers to understand how the way they show their emotions, will reflect on kids. I experience difficulties on knowing how to talk with kids about certain stuff. I’m sure I won’t be the only one. To have some orientation in such issue, is very useful.
Since I listen to the audio book, I also have a comment on the narration. It was well done. The pacing was a bit slow to my taste, but that is something that can be easily changed. Other than that, I think it the narrator did a good job.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a timely read for me as we deal with COVID-19, a decidedly scary time in the world. The first half of the book gives a good education about child development and how anxiety and fears manifest at different ages. Parents are encouraged to examine their own reactivity and anxiety. The second half is examples of various scary situations (i.e fears of school shootings, house fires, storms, bullying, etc) and sample dialogues between parents and children. Told with “red light” and “green light” examples, parents can see themselves in these responses. I admit it became quite repetitive as the dialogues were slightly formulaic. Overall this is a good introductory book for parents to talk about scary situations. I feel the first half will be helpful to study while the second half may be helpful to skim and refer back to as needed.
I also felt it needed a stronger conclusion. It ended abruptly and the epilogue was not enough to tie the two halves together.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ideas in the book are not revolutionary. I’m a psychologist myself, and although I would say or do things a little different in some areas, the author’s basics on parenting is on point for anyone starting out or needing a refresher. Everyone has to deal with unpleasant life situations and emotions, but hopefully we get to a level of emotional maturity in order to cope better. Having a parent that can guide you there will make life much easier. You need to know how to handle your own emotions and not let them get too carried away before you can help your child. This helps both parent and child deal with hot button issues like climate change, social injustice, school shootings, bullying, etc. The anxiety themes might skew to a more liberal leaning reader, but the strategies can be applied to any situation.

[Citlaly Gonzalez]

I picked this book up in the middle of an anxious parenting period hoping it would teach me not to worry. While it was a bit different I did learn how the worry can affect parenting, especially in how reactive I (and other parents can be) and how to turn things around. The author offers “red light” conversations and “green light” ones. Throughout the book the author highlights the importance of naming bodily sensations, labeling feelings and validating each child’s process through these. I especially liked the idea of brainstorming and considering ALL ideas, the use of a snack and movement to get conversations going, and a drink of water/snack to give parents time to think before we react. It’s a good book with information for experienced professionals and parents. Adding this to my resource list! Highly recommend!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's overwhelming to be a kid in 2020. And to parent a kid because the world feels like a scary place. We're dealing with a global pandemic, a heated presidential election, school shootings, racial injustice, hurricanes--and then the usual stuff like death, divorce and bullying.

This is a great resource guide for parents who proactively want to get better at communication strategies.

After all, if we're less anxious, our kids will be!

So how do we know what to talk about? And at what age? And what should we say?

Dr. Abigail Gewirtz is a child psychologist and a leading expert on families under stress. In her book, When the World Feels Like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Kids, she gives parents lots of practical strategies. In particular, we learn how to react to scary things (around our kids), how to shield our kids from scary things, and how to talk to them about scary things. And she gives us real-world examples and suggested talking points based on age groups. That way we can address issues in ways that our kids can understand both emotionally and intellectually.

One of my big a-ha takeaways was learning how to listen to the child's concerns, brainstorm solutions together, write things down and then come up with a plan that we can both agree upon. Talking things through in a rational way helps calm the situation, and is a great coping strategy for dealing with difficult issues as an adult.

I thought the narrator, Robin Miles, did a professional job. She was clear and easy-to-understand. While I enjoyed listening to the book, I think it's useful to have a printed copy as well so you can refer back to the conversation scripts. It's definitely content you need to re-read each year!

Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Marissa Mariano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not really marketed towards me as I don’t have children, however I am a psychology major and have studied all of this at length. I think this would be super helpful for parents that are having a difficult time parenting their children or just parents that would like to be able to open up more. This books brings up some pretty heavy topics as well as some lighter ones and gives many different ideas on how to diffuse situations. With that being said I did find some of the dialogue to be very unrealistic. I think there are things that parents can take away from the it and pick through what they think will work with their kids but this is not something that I feel fits the buck for everyone.

[Deena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very timely and useful book for parents of kids of all ages - a great resource to keep on the bookshelf to refer back to when needed for the inevitable difficult conversations that parents will have with their kids about issues that the parents themselves feel anxious and uneasy about. It is divided into general topic areas such as bullying, climate change, divided society, racism and social justice, with sample conversations that parents can have with kids of different ages. While some of the dialogue seemed a bit unrealistic to me in some instances, there are some really great takeaways from this book that can be applied to any difficult conversation with kids. I can see this book being useful for teachers as well.

[Laun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is easy to listen to as the narrator really brings it alive especially when voicing the case examples that include parent/child dialogue.

The content went straight for the difficult and scary topics and reminded parents that we need to process our own feelings too, preferably before chatting to our children. It also included sage advice - to take a breathe by getting a glass of water or a snack because it helps to regulate our own messy emotions in a charged conversation. I connected with the conversations about antisemitism, refugees. Covid-19, fake news and discrimination.

A solid parenting read/listen if you have kids aged 3 - 30!

[Lindsey M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, one I would love to add to my bookshelf as a clinician. I love the starting point of parents getting their emotions in check before navigating a potentially challenging or difficult conversation. There are also helpful ways to work with children so they can learn to identify their emotions, too. The layout of “red-light” and “green-light” conversations are helpful. When a child drops a question or comment a parent wasn’t expecting, it is easy for anyone to shut it down. I thought this book did a great job of using the “green-light” conversations to set a framework for a best practice as a parent.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for honest review. Reading this book during COVID-19 was especially helpful and relevant. Both me and my toddler are aware of the changes happening in our world - and reading this book was helpful in knowing how to talk about it. I appreciated the many scenarios given as examples, the age-appropriate tips for conversations, and the very practical advice. I would recommend this book to any parent - especially in today's world. With so much uncertainty and so many questions about how to have tough conversations with our kids, this is a really helpful guide.

[Kristens.reading.nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a timely book! We live in a world that can be very scary for kids. This book gives parents tools to navigate tough conversations with their kids. It also provides examples of good and bad conversations on all kinds of topics including school shootings, tornadoes/hurricanes, abortion, racism, and COVID-19.

The author’s religious and political views are pretty evident in the conversations, but even if you don’t agree with those views, the tools emphasized in each conversation are applicable to any viewpoint the reader holds.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only I had this book when my kids were younger... Dr. Gewirtz provides indispensable guidance for parents. As timely as the book is today, I found it timeless in terms of providing parents tools for effective communication with kids regarding their worries. No matter the time, the world can feel scary for kids (and adults). Without any bias regarding the particular issues raised, Dr. Gewirtz provides sample conversations that will help kids feel less anxious. Even if your kids are grown, this book is great! But, if you have younger kids, this book is indispensable.

[Pammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to When The World Is A Scary Place on audio. The narrator is perfect for this book.
I really liked this book, she (author) starts out by explaining that our children, mostly learn about their emotions from watching the parents, and teaches you how to remain calm and talk to your child about what’s bothering them and how to teach your child about emotions. She goes on, teaching you to talk to your child in many different situations. She provides games/exercises for you and your child.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the World Feels like a Scary Place is a valuable resource for families. The author provides clear and practical help for families with small children to deal with fear and anxiety. Many parents are unsure of what to say and how to say it when dealing with big scary topics, this book gives example conversations and gives parents the confidence to use positive active listening skills and help their children identify these scary feelings so they can deal with them. I think this book would be very helpful not only for parents but for anyone who deals with children.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested an ARC of this book thinking it sounded like an interesting read but had no idea it would be so helpful to read this when months later COVID-19 came to the US and changed our lives. This book has been a helpful guide and has helped me to speak to my 7-year-old about what is going on in our world without adding additional stress for her. With so much uncertainty and so many questions about how to have tough conversations with our kids, this is a really helpful guide.