Teaching your kids about the Sept. 11 attacks

[gabosaurus]

My daughter is taking an honors American history class this year. I noticed on the syllabus that one of the topics will be the 9-11 attacks. It then occurred to me that I had never discussed this event with her. I don't think either my husband or I knew how to approach it when she was younger.

Instead of discussing it, I decided that we would watch a Smithsonian Channel show called "The Heartland Tapes." Which I consider one of the greatest achievements in television I have ever seen.
The program is an account of Sept. 11 as it unfolded, from daybreak through the next morning. It told without narration or external interviews, using only clips from local TV and radio stations across the nation. I highly recommend it.

If you had kids at home and they were old enough to comprehend what was happening, how did you explain Sept. 11 to them?

[Kathianne]

My daughter is taking an honors American history class this year. I noticed on the syllabus that one of the topics will be the 9-11 attacks. It then occurred to me that I had never discussed this event with her. I don't think either my husband or I knew how to approach it when she was younger.

Instead of discussing it, I decided that we would watch a Smithsonian Channel show called "The Heartland Tapes." Which I consider one of the greatest achievements in television I have ever seen.
The program is an account of Sept. 11 as it unfolded, from daybreak through the next morning. It told without narration or external interviews, using only clips from local TV and radio stations across the nation. I highly recommend it.

If you had kids at home and they were old enough to comprehend what was happening, how did you explain Sept. 11 to them?

I don't know how I'd explain 9/11 to those born before 1994. Now if you'd like me to address those that were in 6-8th grades at that time? LOL!

[Jeff]

My boys where to young, my 2 oldest had there own ideas, but as the younger ones got older and asked I explained to them that not everybody like the idea of the freedom we have, and that some are so cowardly that they have to attack unarmed citizens to try and send fear threw the country. I went on to explain to them how our Country if even for a short bit became united. and how that would probably be the last time we came together like that.

[jimnyc]

My daughter is taking an honors American history class this year. I noticed on the syllabus that one of the topics will be the 9-11 attacks. It then occurred to me that I had never discussed this event with her. I don't think either my husband or I knew how to approach it when she was younger.

Instead of discussing it, I decided that we would watch a Smithsonian Channel show called "The Heartland Tapes." Which I consider one of the greatest achievements in television I have ever seen.
The program is an account of Sept. 11 as it unfolded, from daybreak through the next morning. It told without narration or external interviews, using only clips from local TV and radio stations across the nation. I highly recommend it.

If you had kids at home and they were old enough to comprehend what was happening, how did you explain Sept. 11 to them?

My son was just shy of one year old when the attacks took place.

I'll look up the show you recommend and watch it. Until today, we watch almost all "documentaries" we can, fact filled shows with Jordan. And of course he is aware where we were that day, what we saw and lived through and how we got home.

At the dinner table and after, we often discuss minor politics and major news like this. Never arguments/debates, just discussions and an opportunity to explain things to him. And while he is not like his father here on a message board, he is like "Johnny 5" and is like me in where he is always looking for "data" and looking to learn.

It's very difficult to discuss this with little ones and not sound angry, or biased or discriminatory. But at the same time, we HAVE to teach them about radicals from all walks of life, and how past events have made some people hate America, and want to kill our way of life at all costs.

[darin]

My kids understand Liberalism is the root-cause of the downfall of the nation; to that, the attacks stemmed from weakness, pacification on the part of those charged to protect us - and liberalism tells us to sit back and accept MORE of those types of attacks.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

My daughter was 13 years old at the time of the sneak attack. I explained then , she write Senior paper on it years later and got special commendations for it and 100 A+. Obviously we have some damn fine teachers still in our school system but they are the minority. A very, very sad fact.. -Tyr

[Drummond]

My kids understand Liberalism is the root-cause of the downfall of the nation; to that, the attacks stemmed from weakness, pacification on the part of those charged to protect us - and liberalism tells us to sit back and accept MORE of those types of attacks.

I especially agree with the last part of that post. It's just one more example of the Left's moral bankruptcy.

For once, Gabby has come up with something I'd support. It'll do kids the world of good to witness something which brings the true, disgusting horror of that day's events to them in terms they'll fully identify with. Realisation of the nature of the enemy we continue to face, and the great need there is to defeat it .. it's a priceless lesson.

And through it, of course, comes full appreciation of those values, and that humanity, which are the polar opposite of that which those terrorist enemies represent and exhibit, through their subhuman barbarism.

It's a bit of a roundabout way of finding a basis for valuing what America and the West stands for. But excellent for the purpose, nonetheless.