Do your younger children know about 9-11?

[transparant]

Yes. My youngest two kids were 2 years & 10 months old when 9/11 happened. Both of them know exactly what happened to the WTC's, Pentagon & the field in PA. Especially my 5 1/2 yr. old - he's very inquisitive about it and I'm very honest and open with him about it.

 

[TinkInPink]

opps wrong thread

 

[Beth76]

No, that's not what I mean at all. Just curious is all. I guess it was something that I really never thought about until I read it. So I was curious. No need to get excited.....

Don't worry....no excitement here . But you're talking about kids who were 2 or younger at the time. I'm just not sure what you're thinking here. Obviously, if we knew people who were involved or affected we would probably discuss it with him. If he asked about it, we would tell him. But I have no reason to just sit him down one day and start talking about this. He doesn't know that we're at war either. He's about to start Kindergarten so he knows about Spongebob and the pool.

 

[Hannathy]

My just turned 8 yr old DS knows all about it ,watched it all day and night with me when it happened- only thing our set was on to for days. My 14 yr od knows all about it and did at the time also- it hit home because she had spent the day there over Labor Day that year with her Aunt. My SIL worked about a block from there but was traveling that day so the whole family has talked about it a lot at the time and since. I believe whole heartedly that children need to know what is going on in the world both good and bad. We have talked about how horrible a decision it must have been for those poor souls to have to choose between jumping 90 some stories to your death or burning to death and why it is important to have a strong country and why we need the security at the airports etc. Children have brains and are capable of so much more than many people give them credit for.

I wonder how you don't explain it to your children, what do you say when Fox news is talking about 9-11, or it is mentioned elsewhere, or why security changed so much after it. I mean it comes up on TV and in the newspaper a lot , let alone in conversations, even among kids, Don't they ask?

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

No, she doesn't ask. She's 5. The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon don't really talk about 9/11. I would discuss it with her if she asks though.

 

[phorsenuf]

Don't worry....no excitement here . But you're talking about kids who were 2 or younger at the time. I'm just not sure what you're thinking here. Obviously, if we knew people who were involved or affected we would probably discuss it with him. If he asked about it, we would tell him. But I have no reason to just sit him down one day and start talking about this. He doesn't know that we're at war either. He's about to start Kindergarten so he knows about Spongebob and the pool.

Well, I guess it got me thinking becaue 9-11 is still so much prevelent and in the news 5 years later. It just seems that you can't go very far without hearing about it, whether on the news, shows, just talk in general. We have soldiers at war because of it.
That's why I was wondering. I'm certainly not saying that we need to sit them down and discuss it. Like I said, I was curious.

 

[poohandwendy]

My DD was 7 when it happened and of course, knows pretty much all that happened. Not sure how we would have handled it if she were younger. The issue comes up alot though, in just every day conversation. So, had she not been awar eof it when it happened, I am sure I would be honest with her if/when the questions started.

 

[ntburns22]

My DD6 has an idea of what happened. My dad is a Cleveland fire chief and is always wearing a 9/11 fire department t-shirts. She asks what his shirt is. I am going to New York with my parents and sister to do a Tunnel to Tower Marathon in late September. We have told her the story of how the run came about. We keep it light but it is our history and she knows the basics of what happened on that day in history.

 

[mrFDNY]

Ds was age 1, when it happened.He remembers daddy running to work one day and not comming home for 4 more days.also noone could get in touch with me until 9 pm,phone lines were down and cells did not work at the towers after the collapse,he remembers mommy and some friends of mine over the house and were very upset.Then i was up there alot and if i was not there at ground zero,i was going to funerals for members of my dept that were murdered,sometimes i had as many as 4 funerals to go to in 1 day,it was difficult to say the least.Ds has no idea what exactly happened there on that day,but knows something bad happened.when he turned 3 we had some children at his b-day party,who's dad was a good friend of mine in the FDNY and was killed at the towers,after the party he asked me if i wiould die because of my job and the "bad men"who went to kill the nyc heroes.I'm sure one of these kids told him this.I was not sure how to answer him,but i sat him down after everyone left and explained to him,sometimes i have to face danger in order to help someones mommy or daddy or grandpa or a mommy's and daddy's little baby and sometimes i get hurt doing it,but i love doing it and would'nt you want someone to help your mommy or daddy if something bad happened.He looked at me and hugged me and said "daddy i love you and i'm glad someone helps like you do"i left the room all teary eyed.I think he understands that i have a job that i get in danger sometimes but he also understands that i do alot of training and am well expirenced.I'm sure as he gets older and starts to learn about it,he will come to me for answers,since i work in the FDNY,but for now i try to keep him young and innocent and make him think the world is full of wonderful people and things,sadly this is not exactly true as we all know.

Sadly some of these kids had parents that were killed on sept,11 and all too young they had no choice but to find out what really happened.As for my son,soon to be 6 now,i know he will ask me about it one day and what happened,I'm not so sure what i will tell him.I guess will have to wait to we get to that road.He also remembers daddy (me) got very sick and was in the hospital in ICU in april of 2002 for 3 months.I was given last rights and family tried to prepare him that i might die,i had a unkown infection and was poisioned form all the chemicals from the collapse(Pvc's,asbetous,ink toner,havey lead,fiber glass and others)I got better as quick as i got sick and when i finally got home from Icu he would not let me leave the house for 2 weeks.Thats was very hard to see that me getting so sick had really affected him so greatly.It really broke my heart.There was a lot of horror these eyes have seen down there at ground zero,your wildest night mare or most visual horror movie,could never match what we found down there digging around in the pile.a lot of my guys who were involved in the rescue mission have retired after only 8 years on the job,and nightmares and flash backs haunt there memorys.some even had nervous breakdowns,and a good friend of mine danny stewart killed himself after working the pile for several months,he left a note saying that he saw too much horror and gore down there and good not forget it,he was 28.His suicide was not the last sadly linking sept 11 as the cause.Some dumb media guy was beaten up,badly after he approached a group of police/fire and medics offering then money for just one picture of a dead fireman/cop/or medic.I hope when kids have to learn about these events in school,they teach them without all the horror,but realtiy is this event was a horror story all in itself.I think when kids learn about these event it makes them lost there sense of saftey in the world,beacuse we were attacked by a hidden enemy on our turf,just like they felt after pearl habor.I'm not that quick to let ds at any age know really what happened,i guess i want to keep him innocent as long as i can,if that makes any sense.Have a great day all.Btw as for me and getting sick,not to worry as some talk about a light in a tunnel,for me it was a light under a train station and then main street.I was not really to leave this earth yet,i had more disney trips to plan. Have a great day all, and live for now!!!!

 

[Beth76]

Well, I guess it got me thinking becaue 9-11 is still so much prevelent and in the news 5 years later. It just seems that you can't go very far without hearing about it, whether on the news, shows, just talk in general. We have soldiers at war because of it.
That's why I was wondering. I'm certainly not saying that we need to sit them down and discuss it. Like I said, I was curious.

I rarely have the news on. If it is on, I don't watch it around him. So, he has no place to even hear about it. Like I said, he's five so these are things he doesn't need to be worrying about. I'm not trying to shelter him, but I just don't see the need for him to see things on the news. Gee wouldn't life be grand if all we ever had to worry about was when is the next time we're goiing to the pool?

 

[ILUVMYBRIT]

Gee wouldn't life be grand if all we ever had to worry about was when is the next time we're goiing to the pool?

That was exactly what I was thinking when you said he knows about Spongebob and the pool. It would be so nice to have even a bit of that innocence wouldnt it???

 

[njcarita]

My 8 and 11 year old know a lot about it--

they remember all the new coverage and

There aunt worked at one wall street and her building was the closest to the towers.

She was at work when the planes hits--

We did not hear she was okay till that evening--

 

[kimkarli]

My DD6 also knows there were some bad men who killed people and "blew up" the twin towers. She doesn't know how (with the planes). I think since we are about to fly to WDW in two weeks I won't mention it either!

 

[CathrynRose]

I have a just-turned-11-year-old & a 15 y/o, whom most certainly do know about it and knew about it then, as well. I pulled them out of school that day out of a pure "WTH IS GOING ON?" fear. From there we watched the coverage for days on days - and I answered questions upon questions.

Sheltering kids from reality? From the world around us? From history? Not my style.

 

[ZachnElli]

My oldest is 11 and was 6 then. He knew about it then. He was with me when I turned on the TV and saw the first tower in flames and the second plane hit right then. I am the daughter of a history teacher (retired now) and grew up being told that history is important and I knew this was history in the making. So I told him what was happening. But I certainly didn't tell him everything. My DD is 7 now and I honestly don't know if she knows or not. I'll ask her later (at a playdate). Good question OP'er!

 

[arminnie]

I don't think it's possible to comprehend those types of events fully if you haven't lived through them. Kind of like how I perceived Pearl Harbor before 9-11. Couldn't really wrap my brain around it until after 9-11. Now I think I have a better idea of how earth shaking Pearl Harbor really was.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I took my dad to his Navy ship reunion in May 2001 in D.C. Our hotel overlooked the Pentagon. I heard all of these guys go on about Pearl Harbor and the Doolittle Raid, but I don't think I really, really knew the magnitude of it all until 9/11 four months later.

 

[CF'er]

My DS (10) was home sick that day and watched it on TV with me. My DD (8) knows about it now but was only 3 at the time so she didn't really know.

The Atlanta Journal had a memorial page that listed the names of all of the killed superimposed over a picture of the NY skyline w/towers. It gives me chills. My DBil works for the AJC and had it framed and gave it to me and it hangs in our entry-way.

The kids have a fundraiser where they draw a picture and you can purchase that drawing on t-shirts, mugs, aprons etc.... well that year DS drew a picture of the plane hitting the tower.

Maybe I should have shielded him from that. Hindsight is 20 20.
However, I believe that it's an event that we should never forget.

 

[aprilgail2]

Heck yes my 6 year old knows about it! We live in NY so there were people from around here that died there. Her friends father died in Cantor Fitzgerald in the WTC so she certainly knows about it. She has watched an HBO special with me about it.

 

[beattyfamily]

Yes, my 10 year old (who was 5 at the time), who was with me watching TV when it happened, knows/remenbers some of it. I don't think she actually remembers everything but I think she still remembers that some bad guys flew a plane into the towers and made them come down.

We don't talk about it much really but sometimes we do if she sees the towers in a movie or something like that. They used to do a memorial at her school each anniversary but they haven't the last 2 years.

We talk more about the war and how there are people that don't like us and want to hurt us and about all our brave soldiers more then we talk about 9/11.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My son was 2. On the day it happened I turned on the TV for literally 3 minutes to see what happened. He was in the room but not paying attention (I thought). After that I made sure he wasn't around when the TV was playing -- I thought he was too young.

3 months later he got a book about "Little Bill" going to work with his daddy for Christmas. In the book Little Bill's daddy works in a skyscraper -- he pointed at it and asked me if Little Bill's daddy was going to jump off like those people on TV. I was amazed that he remembered those 3 minutes.

It's very important to me that DS, now 7, learn about difficult issues from ME, not school or peers or other people. I don't mean that they shouldn't discuss these things at school, but I want that initial conversation to be with me, so if he's upset I can comfort him, and so that I can put things into the perspective of our families values. So last year we sat down and talked about 9/11. As a teacher I knew that at that age kids are starting to talk about things like that. We read a book (forget the title) about a tight rope walker that walked between the towers. At the end of the book it says "Now the towers are gone . . . " which gave me my "lead in". I talked about how the towers were knocked down, and the brave fire fighters who tried to save everyone. He knows that people died, but not the sheer number of them. Recently he's also been asking a lot of questions about Iraq and 9/11 figures into some of my answers there.