https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:02:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-explain-terrorism-to-your-children#post-718565 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:20:32 +0000 Mrs. Train 718565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think with all tough subjects your kids will guide you on whats appropriate. Start as simple as possible. Like you said sometimes people do bad things. If they continue to ask for more information then they are ready to hear it. Today I left out the horrible details but told them I had to read the news to find out what had happened. I told them people were hurt and people were sad. That seemed to be enough for him and he went back to what he was doing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-explain-terrorism-to-your-children#post-718562 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:18:31 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 718562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would start off simple as your mother did.<br /> When they are 4, yeah, I'd say "bad people who do bad things..."<br /> and as they get older, I may introduce that they may be people lacking faith, or have mental disorders, or they are suffering from illnesses, addiction?, moral illnesses such as hatred. I wouldn't do that all at once, but i'd slowly cue them in as they got older.<br /> I would want them to know before they are *too* old because then they will hear things at school and get all types of confused and then we'll have to UN-teach and then re-teach. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-explain-terrorism-to-your-children#post-718557 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:14:12 +0000 runsyellowlites 718557@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, just about any &amp; everything we explain &amp; discuss goes back to our religious beliefs (including mental health) so that would definitely be the basis of my explanation. Beside that though I'd probably just tell G that there's evil in this world &amp; some people choose to act &amp; think in those kinds of ways and don't care if they harm others doing it. We ALL have the choice to do good or do evil &amp; while we were all created to love each other, not everyone chooses that. That hurting people hurt people &amp; I feel just as bad for the "bad guy" as I do for all those hurt by them. If it was terrorism based on religious beliefs I would explain that to him as well.</p> <p>Yea, that's probably what I would say.</p> <p>ETA: I just realized I was thinking about how I would explain things to G &amp; he's almost 9..... BUT now that I type that I realize I've always explained things to him in the same way..... and since we don't believe in "bad people", considering I myself have done somethings that would make me a "bad person" to some, I would just focus on the choice we all have. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-explain-terrorism-to-your-children#post-718529 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:49:08 +0000 lovehoneybee 718529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Or violence acts in general?</p> <p>I was talking to my mother about this earlier this evening, and she just said that "bad people do bad things to good people" but that really felt too simple. </p> <p>I know there are a whole lot of reasons I could probably think of, and it's definitely a conversation that I won't have to have for a few years, but how can you explain something like 9/11, or Columbine, or Newtown, or Aurora, or the Marathon today to a child? In a lot of those cases I can tell my child they were sick in the head, but is that something that a child can understand and is it simplifying the issues too much? </p> <p>How are you planning on handling these conversations? If you have older children, how do you explain things like this to your children? Am I over-thinking it? </p>