The Bad News Scriptbook for Parents

Say the hard thing right, the first time.

A death, a divorce, an illness, a move, most parents get almost no practice at telling a child hard news before they're suddenly doing it. This scriptbook gives you word-for-word starting scripts for the conversations that come up most, shifted for three age bands so what you say actually matches how your child's age understands the world. Tablet-native with a tap-to-navigate home screen, built for GoodNotes, Notability, or Adobe Acrobat, not a printer.

What's included:

• The 5 Principles of Telling Kids Hard Truths, the foundation every script in this book is built on, plus an Age-by-Age Developmental Guide for ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12
• A dedicated split for the tween years, ages 9-10 versus 11-12, since two years matter a lot at this stage
• 8 full situation scripts: pet death, death of a family member, divorce, serious illness, job loss, moving, pregnancy loss in the family, and losing touch with a friend
• A What Not to Say table covering the most common well-meaning mistakes, and how to handle the questions, anger, or silence that follow hard news
• Guidance on the days and weeks after, and on preparing yourself before the conversation
• A Fill-In Script Builder for the specific situation your family is facing that isn't covered above

Format: 31-page tablet-native PDF guide with 4 genuinely fillable form fields, hyperlinked navigation, works on tablet, phone, or desktop in GoodNotes, Notability, or Adobe Acrobat.

This scriptbook provides general communication guidance, not therapy or medical advice. If a child's reaction to hard news doesn't ease over time, or includes any expression of wanting to hurt themselves, consult a pediatrician or child therapist right away.