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Sept. 11...in a 7 year old's world

Steve DunneSteve Dunne Posts: 4,965
edited September 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
...from last night...

"Dad, do you know what today is? (uh, yea, Thursday?) Well do you remember 2001? (yes, why?) Well, that's when some bad people got into some airplanes and the twin towers got knocked! (Knocked?) Yea dad, knocked! It killed about a million people! (A million?) Yea dad! About a million people I think! (Well it was more like over 3,000 but it was still 3,000 too many. Did you learn about this in school today?) Yea - do you remember what day it was in 2001? (It was a tuesday...you were 2 months old and I was holding you in my arms watching it all on tv) Were you scared? (No but I was rippin' mad...*code for her for when daddy is very mad*) Was I scared? (No, you were asleep) Oh. Did anyone else die? (yes...in Washington DC and in PA. You learned all about this today?) Yes we learned about the towers getting knocked. (You mean knocked down?) Yea knocked, ya know? (Yea I know) Did all the bad people die? (well those that were in the planes, yes) Where did this happen? (New York City) *horrified* (You know, where the Yankees play *she's a yankee fan*) Did my favorite player get hurt? (Who, Jeter?) No, the guy on my shirt! (Matsui?) NO DAD! THE OTHER GUY! MY FAVORITE! (uh....OH! BERNIE?!?!) Yes! Bernie! (well, no he didn't get hurt) Oh good."

*...runs upstairs and starts talking to 4 year old sister...*

"Hey did you know that in New York City on a Tuesday called September 11 in 2001 the year I was born, the twin towers got knocked!!!"

*running as fast as i can up the stairs*

(Hold it right there. She can learn about this when she gets to 2nd grade. Go to bed you two.)

Ugh.



Trust me when I tell you our kids will never forget this day, either.
I love to turn you on
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • GraySaturdayGraySaturday Posts: 2,878
    It's really interesting to me to hear children's reactions to 9-11. Especially those who are too young to recall the actual event. My Boss's little boy, whom I take care of, has been having nightmares all week and just breaks down at the drop of a hat, because apparently his school has really been drilling 9-11 into their heads, and he is only 6.5 so he had no idea about it. I think its good for children to know history, and be able to understand what current events are important at the time, but its a fine line as to when enough is enough. It's hard to educate children on these sensitive topics, without totally freaking them out. I think his school is a little over the top on some issues, and they really drove it home. Its a shame.

    As a future teacher, I really pay attention to children's reactions to major topics, so I can learn to approach them with a kid friendly view.
  • NYbenbenNYbenben Posts: 1,020
    my 8 yr old daughter was talking to me about it this morning (i was away on business yesterday)... she asked why they happend. I couldnt help but sigh and start to explain....
    4/12/92, 8/11/92, 9/28/96, 9/11/98, 8/23/00, 8/24/00, 7/9/03, 4/30/03, 10/1/04, 10/3/05, 12/9/05, 5/12/06, 5/17/06, 5/28/06, 6/3/06, 12/9/06, EV LA 4/12-4/13/08, 6/12/08, 6,19,08, 6,20,08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 7/1/08

    and still jonesing for another show....
    "the waiting drove me mad..."
  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    what a fucked up world we live in.

    my friend thought i was "overreacting" when i looked at him after the towers fell and said "this will change everything"

    it has, and only those that live in detached frame of mind can believe that it has not changed EVERYTHING.

    hug your kids. and teach them the truth.
    Peace, Love.

    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    NYbenben wrote:
    my 8 yr old daughter was talking to me about it this morning (i was away on business yesterday)... she asked why they happend. I couldnt help but sigh and start to explain....


    good for you.
    Peace, Love.

    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • g under pg under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200
    the wolf wrote:
    what a fucked up world we live in.

    my friend thought i was "overreacting" when i looked at him after the towers fell and said "this will change everything"

    it has, and only those that live in detached frame of mind can believe that it has not changed EVERYTHING.

    hug your kids. and teach them the truth.

    After I picked my daughter from school I sort of said the same thing. I said "our leaders (check that BUSH) are going to be really pissed off, they might over-react and many innocent people are going to die somewhere".

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    g under p wrote:
    After I picked my daughter from school I sort of said the same thing. I said "our leaders (check that BUSH) are going to be really pissed off, they might over-react and many innocent people are going to die somewhere".

    Peace

    i remember arguing with friends who said we would never even have to put troops on the ground, that it would all be done with "smart bombs".

    idiots.
    Peace, Love.

    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • PureandEasyPureandEasy Posts: 5,811
    Oh this thread is making me tear up. I remember I was at my sisters that day and my niece, who was around 4 knew something was going on because of all the talk among the adults and us trying to keep her and her 2 year old brother away from the tv. She saw the burning buildings on tv and asked what was happening. And my sister said, a plane hit the building honey and wisked her away to the back yard.

    She would routinely ask in the later months, are the planes going to hit any more buildings.

    It’s making me so sad that any parent has or will have to explain this to their children some day.

    And then try explaining what the hell we’re doing in Iraq and why men and women are coming back in boxes or without limbs and burns all over their bodies.

    It is a messed up world.
    Don't come closer or I'll have to go
  • angie76angie76 Posts: 646
    This thread made me get a bit teary as well. I remember being scared as hell when all of it was playing out and I can't imagine how it would have been for a child.
    Dig a ditch deep enough
    To keep you clear of the sun
    You've been burned more than once
    You don't think much of trust
  • riffrandallriffrandall Posts: 685
    the wolf wrote:
    what a fucked up world we live in.

    my friend thought i was "overreacting" when i looked at him after the towers fell and said "this will change everything"

    it has, and only those that live in detached frame of mind can believe that it has not changed EVERYTHING.

    hug your kids. and teach them the truth.

    I hope you don't mean the "truth" about 9/11 as it's told over in A Moving Train. I won't be teaching that. To anyone.

    My 11 year old was talking to me about 9/11 yesterday. Funny thing, her most vivid memory of it is not from the actual day, but from about a month later when there was a huge fire near our house. She said that scared her more because she associated "huge fire" with "moms and dads dying."
    Sad.
    "If you're looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch, you're out of luck."
  • Black DiamondBlack Diamond Posts: 25,107
    maybe it's the proximity but my 8 year old's school has not broached the subject. I thought they would have but I asked him if they talked or did anything special in his school today. He said no and gratefully I dropped the subject.
    GoiMTvP.gif
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Posts: 49,257
    Yesterday I read an article about how schools are dealing with it. Some don't really mention it. Others simply have a moment of silence. Others have some sort of ceremony. And others work it into the curriculum. It said working it into the curriculum is tough because it takes place so early in the year and the teacher doesn't really know the students that well yet.

    Its tough. I was actually thinking about this before I saw the article. I think it is a good thing to work it into the curriculum and not just have a ceremony. That way kids will have an idea as to what happened. It's also kind of scary to think about what will shape these kids views of it. I mean with the internet, its easy to go on and read all of these conspiracy theories and see those youtube videos of people claiming that explosions actually knocked the towers down and that our government was behind it. I dont know at what age kids are going online these days. I didnt really go online till college so I cannot relate. But we could have a generation and future generations of misinformed kids out there unless our schools all start to find a way to educate them properly about the greatest tradegy of our lifetime...
    www.myspace.com
  • MrMerkinballMrMerkinball Posts: 1,978
    Next year I will have to explain. My oldest daughter is a product of us deciding that day to have a family. She was born 1 year after it happened.
  • AmentsChickAmentsChick Posts: 6,969
    Steve, that was actually a cute and entertaining read! I often wonder what kids will learn and think about it.
    This is the greatest band in the world -- Ben Harper

  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    riffrandall wrote:
    I hope you don't mean the "truth" about 9/11 as it's told over in A Moving Train. I won't be teaching that. To anyone.

    My 11 year old was talking to me about 9/11 yesterday. Funny thing, her most vivid memory of it is not from the actual day, but from about a month later when there was a huge fire near our house. She said that scared her more because she associated "huge fire" with "moms and dads dying."
    Sad.

    i wouldnt go that far as to say what is discussed over there is the "truth", but with that being said, i do not believe we know the whole truth about everything that happened that day, and the days that followed.

    lets face it, top govt. officials have stated in public that they believe the 911 commission report was a joke. and that is scary if you ask me.


    anyway, not the time or place for that.

    back on topic: my sister , and a close friend of mine are teachers, and they say that is by far the hardest day to go to work. because the kids know, but dont know everything that we know, so its hard day.
    Peace, Love.

    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    My oldest was 3 when it happened and he tells me that he remembers his mom crying on the phone trying to get a hold of me, I work in NYC. The days following 9/11 we left Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon on the TV in our living room so that he wouldn't have to see or hear about but unfortunetly he still did. I remember going back to work on the 13th and him asking me if they where going to knock down my building too.

    He is 10 now, my two younger kids have no idea what even happened on that day since they are 5 and 4 years old. Justin has vague memories of that day, like his mother crying. We made sure that as he grew up we made him feel secure. We didn't want him to be in a state of panic or fear at such a young age.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Steve DunneSteve Dunne Posts: 4,965
    AmentsChick wrote:
    Steve, that was actually a cute and entertaining read! I often wonder what kids will learn and think about it.

    thanks mer! :)
    I love to turn you on
  • dbhdbh Posts: 156
    My son, 9, was angry when he was talking about it. He said "They take all of our money for the best stuff to work with, so why haven't they found Osama yet??"
    ~we were but stones...your life made us stars~
  • Kilgore_TroutKilgore_Trout Posts: 7,334
    dbh wrote:
    My son, 9, was angry when he was talking about it. He said "They take all of our money for the best stuff to work with, so why haven't they found Osama yet??"
    smart kid :D
    "Senza speme vivemo in disio"

    http://seanbriceart.com/
  • Daisy_BuchananDaisy_Buchanan Posts: 162
    A kid I used to babysit for talked about it sometimes when he had to fly. He told me one day, when I was shuttling him between activities and he was about to fly for vacation, that "you have to be careful on planes, because bad men fly them into buildings sometimes." And I asked him cautiously where he heard that (he was 8, and I was afraid someone on the playground was telling him stories) and he said, "my mom told me, and she also said if you're with your mom, you are always safe."

    And I remember being glad she'd told him that, because if I were a kid, I'd want to hear that too in light of the images we still see from that day. I don't have kids, but I'm glad you shared the story so I can remember that this affects us all differently.
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