Sharing September 11th with Our Children

 

It amazes me that 10 years have gone by since that horrific day.  I was sitting at the table, trying to figure out which American history curriculum to order, when my son called me to come see what was on TV.  He was surfing channels and thought that there was some new horrible movie being advertised that involved a plane going into the Twin Towers.  As we watched in horror, a second plane hit the towers, and we realized that what we were seeing was real.  For many hours after, we were glued to the TV and the phone trying to reach relatives. At the time, we had relatives working in NYC and in Washington, D.C.  Fortunately, they were all safe and sound.

This morning I sat down to watch the "Good Morning America" special.  As those familiar images flashed across the screen once more, my younger children looked on.  I quickly realized that they were becoming scared.  They knew about the tragedy on that day but had never seen the images.  I turned off the TV and shared the day with them in a different way.  After church, we read FIREBOAT and THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS.  We talked about the brave men, women and children who experienced that tragic day.  We also talked about how Jesus would have handled this tragedy.  Another leader of another faith summed it up well.

"Today, as we mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th 2001 attacks on New York and Washington DC, let us remember all the innocent lives lost and ponder the continuing impact of that tragic day. September 11th reminds us of the horror we human beings can unleash on ourselves when we allow our human intelligence and powerful technology to be overtaken by hatred. We need to learn from our painful memories of September 11th and become more aware of the destructive consequences that arise when we give in to feelings of hatred. This tragedy in particular has reinforced my belief that fostering a spirit of peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding among the world’s peoples and faith traditions is an urgent matter of importance to us all. We must therefore make every effort to ensure that our various faith traditions contribute to build a more caring, peaceful world."  Dalai Lama

Here is a list of books to share with young children about this day and the Twin Towers in general:

• FIREBOAT ~ One of my children's favorite books about unsung heroes.
• THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS ~ This is an exciting story about a man who walked on a tightrope between the towers in the 1970's.  My kids were playing on their own homemade balance beam for hours after hearing this story.
• THE LITTLE CHAPEL THAT STOOD ~ A sweet story with beautiful illustrations of the chapel that stood in the midst of the Twin Towers and still stands today.
• 14 COWS FOR AMERICA ~ A story about the gift of cows from the Maasai in Kenya and the far-reaching reactions of love and hope delievered to us from around the world.
• NEW YORK'S BRAVEST ~ This is a story of fire fighters in the 1840's.  However, it allows for a great discussion on how brave fire fighters and the police are in very scary situations.
• HE SAID YES: THE STORY OF MYCHAL JUDGE ~ I really want to read this one to my children but have not bought it yet.

Blessings,
Dawn