I am very interested in this thread. My Maggie teaches 3rd grade here in Maine and we have talked about discussing the war with her kids. Most kids in her class are seemingly oblivious to what is going on outside of their own ego-centered worlds. However, There is one kid with severe mental and emotional problems that fixated on the globe in Maggie's classroom until he found the location of Iraq. This discovery seemed to break him out of his obsessive-compulsive mode of the moment. He is really more aware of the bigger picture than his classmates inspite of his problems. Fortunately, he has great parents who give him the special attention he needs. What age should we start explaining war and death with kids? What age should we start explaining sex or any other adult topic with kids? Didn't Maslow give us some idea of what kids at certain levels are capable of feeling and comprehending?

Peter