Every year, Sept. 11 brings tears to my eyes, as it does to many Americans who were cognizant of the events that day.
If you saw the World Trade Center towers fall while watching a news channel, or from the pavement in Manhattan, you’ll never forget where you were, and you likely remember this day with a mix of feelings every year. But of course, there’s an entire generation of young people who were too young to remember the day, or who weren’t even born yet. However, just as we teach our children about other aspects of history that are violent, uncomfortable, or sad, we should continue to show our kids what happened on 9/11. It’s important they grow up aware of the contrast between good and evil, terrorism and heroism.
As my children have gotten older and matured, I’ve slowly let them see more footage available of the attacks on the towers. I don’t let them see every single photo or clip out there, because some of them are too difficult to process, but I feel it’s important for them to be aware that buildings don’t just crash to the ground without force. In this case, I explain to them the force at work that day was purposeful, coordinated, and just plain evil.
But just as 9/11 is a day to talk about what went wrong, and how and why a group of terrorists struck America, it’s also good to show children that heroes walk among us. I show my kids this documentary, narrated by Tom Hanks, that describes the largest sea evacuation recorded — about 500,000 people in 9 hours — far more than Dunkirk, which took place over a week.
Last year, I took my older children to New York City for a quick visit so they could experience some history, culture, and of course, food. We made it a point to see where the World Trade Center towers fell and the memorials that honor the people who died that day. Not every child can visualize such an event, but seeing the space with their own eyes helped them see how real the 9/11 catastrophe really was to many families.
As a parent, you must, of course, communicate what is age appropriate and what children can handle emotionally. But showing them bits of our nation’s history, even if it feels hard to understand, offers them valuable perspective, creates empathy, and shows them that where evil exists, good also exists, and where terrorists wreak havoc, heroes will lend a hand. Both of these lessons are important, powerful, and essential to helping pass on our nation’s history onto the next generation.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
