Are your kids worried that the world is ending in 2012?

[dejr_8]

Our 8 yr old son has been asking us if the world is really going to end in 2012. He first asked us last weekend and we did some research on the web to show him it was a myth.

Then friday night he asked us again...

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Did he see the movie?

 

[Disneycrazy!!]

yes! My 12 yr old step daughter asked us after coming home from school one day. Apparently all the kids were talking about the movie and they all believed it was real.

 

[MM27]

I was doing something in math a few weeks ago with my 4th graders and they were trying to figure out how old they would be in 2020 and some other years. One of the boys in my class raised his hand and said, "I don't think I'll be alive in 2020" After further questioning I found out that he believed the world was ending in 2012. Some of the other kids chimmed in that they believed it as well.

We had a long discussion about fact/fiction and how many people got worked up in the past over things like this and it was the hype that freaked them out (think Y2K). Kids take things so literally sometimes so these conversations need to happen.

 

[Feralpeg]

If you can find it, there was a really good special on television on this topic. It was on either the History channel or the Discovery channel. I don't remember which. During the show, they discussed all the possible ways the earth could end, then scientists told why this will not happen in 2012. It was very interesting and would be reassuring to kids who are worried about the topic.

 

[golfgal]

I don't think so. The kids at their school have a thing on Facebook about the world ending in 2012 and they would STILL have school .

 

[FINFAN]

nah, but my oldest will graduate college that year and she said well, my enormous college loans won't be due if the world ends!

 

[suejai]

My DS14 was asking questions as well, given all the hype surrounding the movie. We didn't see the movie but we watched a few shows on the topic, one in particular involved an historian/anthropologist who specialized in the Maya. He interpreted the whole thing to mean a new direction, as in "the end of the world as we know it". The Mayan calendar is circular, and this to my mind kind of implies that it doesn't end, it's just the beginning of a new age. The historian also made the point that people are taking it out of context and not looking at the big picture. That's what I got out of it anyway. This made DS feel better.

Now the movie that really got to him was Avatar. He was very depressed after he saw it, had no faith in the human race and felt that we were destroying our world (very hard to argue that one). It took a lot of talking and time to help him feel more positive again.

 

[Ohiodislover]

My girls (11, and 14) talk about it. My 11 Y.O. asked me if I thought it would, and I explained that there are always theories, and how many thought it would end at certain dates, and how those dates passed. My 14 Y.O. chimed in, because apparently they had discussed it during one of her classes at school. Now we just sort of laugh it off.

OP- I understand your concerns though. If mine were 8 when all this talk started, she would have been a basket case. She used to stress about everything at that age.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I just asked my older son, who will be 13 in 11 days, and he said that it was funny what people will believe. He said that many of his classmates believe it. He has tried to explain to them why it is silly, but it is easier to believe a movie and shows about Nostradamus than another kid.

My 10 year old said that his friends don't talk about it, but he knows that it isn't true. He said, "Dad, it was just a movie." Of course, I didn't let him watch it (he is very sensitive), but he has seen the trailers on TV.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dd's are 13 and 18, so no. However we are not religious and pretty well versed in science so even at younger ages they would have not believed it.

They look at it as I do. A way for people to make money off of the fear/interest/entertainment of others.

 

[golfgal]

Another thing to talk to them about is what if the world ends? What does that mean for them? What will happen to them? I think once they understand that, a lot of the 'fear' will go away. I know in our house the conversation would center around everyone going to heaven. Maybe because we do believe in that there isn't a fear.

I DO remember when Regan was elected president and there was a lot of fear in our high school about nuclear war. THAT was scary because it involved pain and suffering for many people vs everyone in the world dying.

 

[Magic Mom]

The only reason DD is worried is because one of her close friends never shuts up about it. Her Grandmother goes to a really small Baptist church out in the country and has her convinced the world is going up in flames in 2012. So the girl goes on and on and on about it to DD.

 

[Feralpeg]

When I was a kid, I worried a lot about what would happen if their was a war. In school, we had those ridiculous drills telling us to "duck and cover". I remember watching a movie on television about an attack. A little boy in the movie looked toward the explosion and was blinded by the flash. It really scared me. I asked my parents what we would do if it happened. They had no real answer other than not to worry about it.

Looking back, it would have been much better if we had just talked about it. Once kids understand the ramifications, even those that are not good, they can better cope with the situation. If kids are worried about 2012, parents should not just dismiss their fears.

 

[golfgal]

When I was a kid, I worried a lot about what would happen if their was a war. In school, we had those ridiculous drills telling us to "duck and cover". I remember watching a movie on television about an attack. A little boy in the movie looked toward the explosion and was blinded by the flash. It really scared me. I asked my parents what we would do if it happened. They had no real answer other than not to worry about it.

Looking back, it would have been much better if we had just talked about it. Once kids understand the ramifications, even those that are not good, they can better cope with the situation. If kids are worried about 2012, parents should not just dismiss their fears.

Ok, way, way off topic but is that Kendall in your signature picture?

 

[Stitchfans]

If it is true then why are all of us braking our backs and so worried about keeping a roof over our heads or food in our bellies. The way I am looking at things is not to worry about the future because we really do not have that much control over what happens any way. Just live life to the fullest and enjoy what time you have now.

 

[palmtreegirl]

No, not at all. We saw the movie and my kids thought the whole idea was really stupid.

 

[Feralpeg]

Ok, way, way off topic but is that Kendall in your signature picture?

Yes, that's Kendall.

 

[dejr_8]

Did he see the movie?

Nope. Didn't see the movie.

 

[Ohiodislover]

Nope. Didn't see the movie.

Mine didn't see the movie either. I don't think it matters. Even without the movie--all the world events--Volcanos, Earthquakes, tsunamis, big snows has everyone saying/joking about 2012. I have to admit, DH and I were saying it is all a bit spooky-not in front of our kids though.