There are a lot of reasons why we don't talk to our children about addiction. We don't want to upset the addict and make things worse. We don't want to bring attention to the drama and dysfunction. We don't want to be accountable. We want it to go away. We don't want our children to think badly of their parent. We don't know what to say or which words to use. There are a lot of reasons why we don't talk to our children about addiction, but none of them are good ones.Talking to children about addiction is not hard. NOT talking to children about addiction is hard. Maybe not in the moment, when it feels easier, and maybe even kinder, to cover things up, but in the future when a child's issues borne from misunderstanding, misinterpretation and lack of communication take flight.Carolyn Hannan Bell is a psychotherapist in South Jersey. This is her fourth book in her Helping Children Understand series. "Mom's Addiction" was written to help children understand their parent's addiction and to teach them that this disease has nothing to do with how much they're loved. Children will learn that they are not responsible for the difficult things going on in their family as well as ways to cope and grow. Amy doesn't understand why her mom acts funny and doesn't spend time with her like she used to. She thinks it's because her mom doesn't want to be with her, that she hasn't been the best girl she can be, that she should try harder. But, Dad teaches Amy that her mom has a disease called addiction. He helps Amy and her faithful dog, Monkee understand what this disease is and how it affects her mom, and the whole family. He teaches Amy that she is not responsible for her mom's behavior and that helps Amy learn the tools she needs to enjoy an emotionally healthy childhood and adult life.