How do you explain 9/11 to a Kindergartener?

It is hard to explain this to kids but I did. After I talked about it with my own kids I wrote an article hoping to help other parents do the same.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1029414/e...

My youngest son was born just 3 days after the attacks. But my oldest was 6 and she remembers that day.

I think you did a good job telling your son. I feel your husband was wrong. You did the right thing being open & honest with him. My mom often sheltered us & lied in the process. She lied about everything. It is hard as a child not to be able to trust your own parent.

If you did what your husband said your son would know something bad happened. He'd be more upset not being told than being told. Does that make sense?

he'd be thinking "Well, it must be pretty bad if daddy won't tell me" I think that would cause even more fear.

Kids don't need all the details just basic facts. If they ask then answer. But often just "Bad men took some air planes and wanted to hurt the USA. They also hurt a lot of people in the process."

I do have my doubts, but I'm not a conspiracy theorist.

Either way, I feel you were right to tell him what happened and why it happened. Next year will be the 10th anniversary and I doubt that Americans won't be doing some kind of huge remembrance service. So it's best he finds out from someone he trusts and loves, than some souped up right winged TV news reports.

cathrl: You've obviously never heard of either Switzerland or Sweden. Particualry the Swiss, who are neutral in ever sense. In WWII, they DID shoot down German bobmbers that violated their airspace, but had us Brits done the same, they would have shot us down too. Swizterand may be tiny, but the average Swiss man has twice the wealth of the Average american. The Swiss economy is VERY strong and it controls a shitload of world money (watch "The International", good film that puts my point into perspective).

As for Sweden... small? Seriously, you think Sweden is small? Go look at a map of Europe.

Even neutral European countries still 'dealt with' WW2.

Personally, I don't believe in sheltering children from such events, and I think it sounds like you did a very good job of explaining it to him. I grew up in England in the 70s and 80s and saw IRA bombs on the news every night. My dad just explained the situation to me as simply as he could. Yes, I had to face up to the fact that there are people in the world who take extreme measures and that sometimes, innocent people are killed. No, I wasn't irrevocably harmed by this knowledge.

LOL at the "very sheltered European country" which "has not dealt with war for over 300 years". There isn't one. Regardless of whether they stayed neutral. European countries are _small_. Even if his country wasn't actively involved with WWII, it would have been a couple of hundred miles away at most. Far more naive Americans around, who until 9/11 genuinely thought attacks by foreign nationals were things which only happened to soldiers who had been actively sent overseas to fight.

I don't think I would have discussed a historical attack from before he was born with a 6 year old. Nor would I have watched it on TV with him there. My daughter was 6 when it happened. Even though we turned the TV off once we realised how bad it was, she still spent weeks drawing pictures of planes crashing into buildings.

Here's what I would say:

"It was a very sad day. Some brave people lost their lives, but we should respect them for having courage. Some stupid, silly people were flying a plane they weren't allowed to. The buildings fell. Things are better now, and that's why it's important to be smart and sensible."

Your husband should be more open, but maybe he had a bad childhood? I know sometimes parents will overstep because they don't want their children to have the same sad feelings.

I would emphasize that this was a one-time event, and the bad men were all caught. You don't have to tell him about the bad men dying in the crash.

Also make it VERY clear to your son that you will ALWAYS do your very best to make sure he is safe.

All the best.

Just explain the facts like any other historical event. Keep it very simple, in terms he can understand.

just tell him there are people in the world that don't like us, these events happen but they are very rare and the good guys try to do everything they can to make sure they don't happen.

okay... I know one thing for certain:

don't refer to Americans as "us".

Just explained what happened and how this is something that can never happen again because of security now. Tell him many heroes lost their lives that day. I recommend finding a short, children's book on it and reading it to him and explaining.

here's a website I recommend