Pay attention to your child’s anxieties — advice from a ’60s kid terrified by nuclear war threat

Cold War-era kindergarten students hold their hands over their eyes to protect them from the blinding flash of a nuclear bomb during a civil defense drill at Ogden School, 24 W. Walton St. (Sun-Times file photo)

What is any kid’s return to school but excitement mixed with trepidation? You want to see what’s changed for the better since you checked out last June, but you’re also scared of things being weird or scarier than before. Like some classmate is now a head taller than you, or you’ve got a new teacher who looks like Pennywise the Clown.

When you’re small, the world is gigantic. And your fears are outsized. These days a kid might have worries over climate change, bullying, neighborhood violence, family economics, active shooter insanity and more.