Children see, hear, and experience so many difficult things: divorce, death, suicide, racism, body-shaming, addiction, income disparity, bullying, and gender-queer identities to name just a few. These topics can be painful, confusing, and even beautiful, but they are all quite complex. When kids ask hard questions, you want to respond faithfully and honestly, but how do you do that in a way they can understand? Join us as we explore some of the basics of faithful conversations with school-age kids.

Karen Ware Jackson is an editor of “When Kids Ask Hard Questions:Faith Filled Responses for Tough Topics” out October 8 from Chalice Press. As a pastor and parent of two school age kids, she’s had her share of hard questions and (hopefully) faithful conversations. She blogs about parenting and engaging all ages in worship at www.karenwarejackson.com.