On 9/11 my son was 8 months old, my daughter not even born, how do I share this event with them? I was 4 months old when JFK was killed and I have no memory of my parents discussing it with me, and I think that’s a shame.
But how to talk with kids about 9/11? Obviously my now 11 year old can process more than my 7 year old, so should we discuss it one on one? I wrestled with these thoughts and decided to confront the issue head on and ask them what they think, and what they know. I found they shared what was comfortable for them to share, and ask what was comfortable for them to learn. I didn’t over dramatize it (though is that even possible), and I didn’t downplay it. I shared a little bit about what our family did that day (cried, cooked, ate, cried some more). And then I assured them that our government and leaders are doing everything possible to make sure it doesn’t happen again and let them go on their way.
They probably would have been fine with whatever was discussed at school, but I felt it was important to share our thoughts and feelings as a family and hope that they never have to do the same with their families as there will be no tragedies for them. As unlikely as that may be, a father can hope.
