Heroes, I have to say that I really hesitated to publish this infographic. It’s more graphic than I usually like to have around here…being family friendly is very important to the publishing team.

That said, we’re publishing it because it’s also important for all of us to pay attention to what’s going on in the world, and to talk to our teens about it.

No. It’s not comfortable.

And it’s certainly not fun.

But wow. What happens if we don’t?

By definition, kids aren’t done growing yet. They need us to help them sort out what’s right and wrong in the world, and they need us to help them decide how to handle some of the awfulness. So please take a moment and read through this infographic, and then I hope you take a moment every now and then to ask your kid if he or she has seen one of the things pictured below. If you get a yes to that question, you can ask them how they feel about it.

Then listen.

When they’re finished, THEN you’re allowed to tell them what you think about it.

Only talk about one issue at a time. Don’t overwhelm or attack. Do listen though, and do talk about these things.

Because these are our kids, and we need to remind them that they’re important, that there is good in the world, and that they’re strong enough to overcome all the other junk.