THERE will be some wide-eyed "casualties" at home as the war with Iraq unfolds.

Our children -- the TV and text generation -- will be quietly absorbing the images of the military and, sadly, of death and destruction.

Already, it is likely that many local parents have been fielding awkward questions from youngsters.

The very young may well be upset by the harsh language used, the emotions on display, and certainly news bulletins of bombing and injury will bewilder them.

Older children will be concerned about the faraway families they see on the screen whose homes and lives will be wrecked.

Teenagers will probably take some moral stand-point, may be critical of Government or of parents.

What our children will all have in common is fear.

Like the rest of us, they are frightened by war and its ramifications.

Unlike adults, they may not be able to deal with these fears or rationalise them. So, we have to help them.

Teachers in Bolton's schools have already received guidelines on how to help pupils in this situation, but for us parents it's more a case of playing it by ear.

And it won't be easy, because we all have our own feelings about this war.

It is important, though, to explain the facts as impartially as we can, and to include our children in discussions where we feel this is appropriate.

We don't want to make their concerns greater and we obviously want to reassure them.

But, most of all, children need to be acknowledged as part of what will be happening over the next days and weeks.

After all, their generations will be dealing with its aftermath -- in what we hope will be a better world.