Intense political ads: How to talk to your children

We've seen more than our fair share of political ads, whether it's on TV or on social media.

The battleground state of Pennsylvania has been bombarded by the campaign blitz.

No matter how you try to shield your kids, the youngest eyes in our homes have seen the messaging and many of them have questions.

Action News' Christie Ileto spoke with a therapist who says it's important to talk to your kids sooner rather than later about the topics in these ads.

"What will happen is they will get a definition from ads, someone else, or school. And that might be OK, but we want to make sure it's the definition that we share with our children," said Dr. George James, a licensed marriage and family therapist.

James says you could ask your child, "When you hear words like gun control or immigration, what does that mean to you?" And then begin the conversation in a manner that fits your family's values.

He says it's not always good to censor or ignore your child's questions because they're going to be curious, and many children can look things up online on their own.

"Being able to give them something that they can hold onto or be able to say, 'You can always ask any questions and I will answer to the best of my ability.' That allows them to know that I'm a source to help you go forward."

Outside of the campaign issues that are taking center stage in the ads, Dr. James adds when it comes to discussing the candidates themselves, it's important to give your child a neutral lense.

"Being able to say that, 'When we see these ads, some of them will put people in a negative or a positive light, but most people have good and bad to them,'" explained Dr. James.

He adds that if you have really young kids, sometimes it's best to just mute the commercials or change the channel