How I Teach About 9/11

Do You Remember

Chances are you remember the exact moment when you heard about 9/11. I was in middle school and I remember being so confused about the event wondering why it happened and who was doing it. I wasn't necessarily afraid for myself but I was afraid for those who lived in New York.

Here we are years later and I am no longer that middle school-aged girl. I'm a mother of 5 and I still take a moment on 9/11 to remember the event. As a mother, I believe it is important that we teach our children about those events no matter how scary it is. It's our responsibility to teach our children about these events that have affected our nation right to the core. We need to be teaching about this wether or not you are a homeschooler. I'm sure schools teach about 9/11 but it will mean so much more to your kids if they learn this from you.

How I Teach About 9/11

My kids are all different ages from 2yrs old to 15yrs old. Of course my 2yr old has no idea what I am talking about but my other 4 kids do. This year they are 6, 10, 13, and 15. Last year was the first time I sat with the 4 kids and showed them the videos of the Today Show. That is what I watched all those years ago and I want my kids to see what we all saw.

After we watch the video clips on YouTube I take time to explain what happened. I tell them about the hijackers, the buildings collapsing, and all the people who lose their lives including the children. I take time to listen to what my kids have to say and answer their questions. We take a moment to be silent in remembrance of all the lives lost.

Once we have finished with that I start to tell them about the heroes. I tell them about the firefighters, the police officers, and the volunteers who all worked together to help save lives. I explain to my kids how some of those brave people lost their own lives trying to help save others.

I wrap it all up with a quote by Fred Rogers, When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Reality

Teaching our kids about these emotional topics is never easy. No parent wants their kid to feel afraid or sad. These events have to be taught and they need to be taught by parents not just the school. The reality of it all is that there are horrible things that happened in the world and our kids need to be exposed to those things. I'm not saying you need to show your child videos of people jumping out of the windows, but we do at the very least need to discuss topics like this and keep it age-appropriate. I would love to hear how you teach your kids about 9/11 below in the comments. Thanks for reading.