Explaining dangerous situations to kids.

• Position: Child Safety - Brief article

As parents, we all have been there: watching our children teeter on a chair, leap from the sofa, or careen about the playground, fearing the worst ... and we all wonder, how can we teach them to be safer? Such was the goal of a team of researchers at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, who analyzed how children take stock of various real-life scenarios, and how parents can help them assess potential hazards. Their conclusion: children and adults regularly do not see eye-to-eye on situational dangers. Because of that, it is critical that mothers and fathers explain why a situation is dangerous, beyond simply administering a verbal slap on the wrist.

"One of the biggest worries for parents is keeping their child safe from injury," explains study coauthor Jodie Plumert, professor of psychology. "It's pretty simple when children are young, because parents directly supervise them, but what about when they get...