I had a different post planned.
But, breaking news on the TV
Greeted me as I woke up.
Earthquakes, fires, Tsunamis, evacuations, warnings, alerts
I wonder what to tell him.
He is such a worry wart.
He worries about meteors hitting Earth.
He says he won’t ever fly.
I told him so he wouldn’t
hear about “tsunamis hitting Oregon” at
school and freak himself out worrying.
We are far from the coast.
100’s of miles, two mountain ranges
between us and the tsunami danger.
But he will not know that.
So I armed him with knowledge
and sent him on his way.
*update: PBS posted this timely link: http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/talking.html
Brook Art Human. A story, a yarn, a line, a shape 
Mar 11, 2011 @ 08:48:06
This is lovely, Brook. I often think about how to inform my kids about world events without scaring them. It’s a tricky balance.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 08:50:56
yeah, it’s tricky. I probably wouldn’t have told him if he didn’t have school today.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 09:04:50
Brook, I think it’s good that you told him. Knowledge makes us secure . What a morning…sigh!
Mar 11, 2011 @ 09:37:15
I don’t think I had a choice. He would have heard about it from someone else. And like most things, I think he need the info from me in the manner I think he should get it instead of half truths and errors from some goofy kid at school. 😛
Mar 11, 2011 @ 10:30:54
A 4yo snuck in as I watched the news videos in horror from my pillow this morning. After a short conversation about the big waves from the middle of the ocean far, far away from here, I shuttered to think of when I won’t be able to reassure of threats that are “far, far away. ” Being a parent in the midst of tragedies is just hard.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 11:53:21
yeah, sneaky 4 y.o.s 🙂 it’s tough.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 11:16:33
This was so true to life. Especially life as it is at ths moment…right now! I loved it.
I think it’s wonderful you took the long view and prepared your son before he headed out to school. I remember my boys were in elementary school when 9/11 occured. By the time they got home they were so scared, worried about their daddy since he works in a skyscraper (but far away from NYC). It was harder to soothe the fears after the false information had taken root in them. So good that you took the time to talk to him…and I’m very impressesd how you expressed yourself in this post! 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog & the comment…they mean a lot.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 11:55:16
yeah, at least I was able to tell him that they knew it was coming and were going to where it was safer.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 12:01:20
whenever I see your blogs website I think it says Breathe the Shiny Love which I think is cool! 😀
Mar 11, 2011 @ 11:17:11
Way to arm him for battle! He will live life secure with a mom who is willing to do such a thing.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 11:56:28
I will protect him from what I can. I wish I could protect him from everything. and truly, I arm him so that he can avoid the battle 🙂
Mar 11, 2011 @ 13:37:04
My daughter is still to young to know exactly what’s happening. But I know when the time comes it will be best to hear news like this from me in a way she can understand.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 13:38:58
yeah, it’s harder as they get older and they understand and yet still don’t really.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 14:50:25
I have this struggle every time there’s news in the world. We haven’t talked about this disaster yet, but I don’t want them to overhear bits and pieces without context (we’re on the California coast, but not in an especially dangerous zone). Sounds like you made a good call.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 18:07:25
Thanks.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 15:51:12
The flip side of that is that as adults, we get so used to stories of tragedy that instead of worrying ourselves crazy about them, it is easy to go to the other extreme and not care about them at all. A kid’s perspective can be a learning point for us all.
Mar 11, 2011 @ 18:08:57
Yes, that’s true. I’m feeling really raw lately so I think I need to pare down my informedness.
Mar 13, 2011 @ 10:08:04
I agree with Juliana and it makes me think of Ayala’s Six Word post this week about what is happening in the Congo – how we seem to “forget” or turn away from it.
You were smart to think on how your boy would interpret the news; arming him with the right amount of knowledge. I hope it helped him!
Mar 13, 2011 @ 10:42:12
thanks!