"what's wrong with that building .... are those people ok"

Iamfit4life

The kids were watching a disney movie so I was watching some old footage on CNN. I wished she hadn't... but my daughter glanced at it.
So was so worried about the building and the people in it. She asked me if they were ok, and I had to tell her "no sweet pea, they were not ok...but that was a very long time ago"


"why, mommy"


At any rate... I'm glad she saw the footage first with me, rather than at school.

sc1572

Yes...I finally turned off the 9/11 stuff. It's been ten years but I cried, a lot.

hm_day

It will always be hard to explain to a child who was not alive during the attacks what exactly happened. I was young (9) when the buildings fell, and so I never really saw the footage until the last few years. I remember the day it happened, but it would never really hit until I was well into my teens.

limismith

I can't watch any more of it.... it's too much

Apryl546

I must be some insensitive person or something.. Because even after 10 years. I still don't feel anything towards the event.
I remember I was i like 6th grade in art class when the teacher turned on the tv.

I tried watching some of the documentary, and I got bored after 10 minutes and ended up watching a movie instead. :huh:

I guess just because it really didn't effect me personally, that I don't really care about it all. People die everyday, some in huge things like that, and some not. I guess I can't really feel bad about the 1000+ people who died when more people then that die everyday.

sunkisses

Why tell a small child the truth? I'm not being judgmental or anything. I just wondered why you chose to tell her the truth about it at such a young age.

Iamfit4life

I must be some insensitive person or something.. Because even after 10 years. I still don't feel anything towards the event.
I remember I was i like 6th grade in art class when the teacher turned on the tv.

I tried watching some of the documentary, and I got bored after 10 minutes and ended up watching a movie instead. :huh:

I guess just because it really didn't effect me personally, that I don't really care about it all. People die everyday, some in huge things like that, and some not. I guess I can't really feel bad about the 1000+ people who died when more people then that die everyday.

I don't think it makes you insensitive. People deal with things differently. Something may not bother one person, but it can bother another greatly.
Personally I'd like to watch more... but will wait until the kids go to bed. For now we are watching "RIO"!

Iamfit4life

Why tell a small child the truth? I'm not being judgmental or anything. I just wondered why you chose to tell her the truth about it at such a young age.

I told her very little about it. Just that no, they weren't ok and that it was a very long time ago. And that I didn't know why.


Then we left and had a picnic at the park.

I don't think you're judging. I'd prefer she hadn't glanced over and seen it, I'd prefer it didn't bother her enough to ask questions.

At the same time I'd rather start explaining it than have her learn about it at school and not from me.

sunkisses

I understand.

juliecat1

Ive been having similar talks with my kids as well. its almost impossible not to see it right now. Its very hard for me to talk about or explain in a way they can get. You might want to check out http://www.lookstein.org/resources/willtheyfly.pdf

I do find it refreshing though that kids just dont "get" it. They dont understand the hate it took to carry out those attacks. I wish that was a switch over that more people never made.

MrsFarrow

My family lost a good number of family and friends in the attacks. I remember I was 13, I had stayed home from school that day. I saw everything live, and taped everything because I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I knew it was important (and I was obsessed with recording things at that time). My mom was at her doctors office, which at the time was right down the street from Three Mile Island, which is the nuclear power plant in Middletown PA for those who aren't sure. My father was supposed to be in New York on the floor that got hit, and we couldn't get a hold of him for hours. Scariest moments of my life. Again, I didn't know the gravity of the situation, but I knew the buildings were messed up and we couldn't get my dad on the phone.

Thankfully, he didn't make it there due to a late breakfast meeting he took spur of the moment. But at the same time, his partners were on the 88th or 83rd floor, I don't recall. That was the first time I ever saw my dad cry, and honestly I haven't seen it since.

If you feel nothing, I don't think that makes you insensitive. And I get the old "More people die every day" argument. But you have to understand this was a national tragedy. Sure, I don't cry because of Pearl Harbor, or World War II, but I understand the gravity of the situation, as I'm sure you do with 9/11.

joolzsd

My son is 8 and I have told him about it. He hears that people are worried about xyz because it's close to 9/11, and then wants to know what 9/11 is. He has only seen minimal amounts of the footage from the day. I was watching the reading of the names at the NYC memorial this morning, and he watched parts of it with me. He was amazed that it went on for so long.

Why wouldn't I tell him the truth? He doesn't need to know all the details yet, but I don't feel that I need to hide it or make something up. He knows "bad guys" crashed the planes, the buildings fell, and a lot of people died. He understands that it makes a lot of people sad or worried sometimes. I try to answer his questions in a honest but reassuring way.

I think each parent knows what level of information their kid can handle. A 4 year old is different from an 8 year old, and a kid who struggles with nightmares, for example, is a different case from one who doesn't.

Iamfit4life

Ive been having similar talks with my kids as well. its almost impossible not to see it right now. Its very hard for me to talk about or explain in a way they can get. You might want to check out http://www.lookstein.org/resources/willtheyfly.pdf

I do find it refreshing though that kids just dont "get" it. They dont understand the hate it took to carry out those attacks. I wish that was a switch over that more people never made.

Thanks for the awesome link.. that's really good stuff. She's so smart and sensitive so she was really affected by just a small clip.
I hope she never "gets" it. I honestly do. And I really truly hope nothing like that happens in their time. That may be naive of me.. lol