[Zen]

I know we have some fathers here , so I thought I would get some perspective on a typical event in our house.

My Children are 4 and 2 , both will have a birthday this summer.

When we sit down to meals , we turn on the TV and watch the news.

My Daughter always asks questions about the stories on the news.
Her mom is a soldier you see , so she knows that moms job is to protect people and sometimes she has to go away to do that.

She asked me yesterday about the little girl that was kidnapped and killed.

I explained that the little girl was taken away by a mean man and that the little girl is gone.


My Mother FREAKED. She said What the HELL are you trying to do to her!!!

I told my mom that it is a true life experiance about strangers.

I believe that what I am doing is the right thing. I do not see the point in lying to my kids about life. There is a very real possibility that one day Mom may not come home.

I think it is important to show my children the world they are in , both good and bad.

I am interested to how other fathers aprouch " Real Life " issues with there children.

I know that there are many teen agers here too , some of whom will undoubtably hate there parents right now. But I am interested in your views as well.

So , What do you guys think?

How should we teach our children the truth about life?

[xXiMDisTuRB3DXx]

How old are you dude lol

I think you're doing the right thing, you need to teach children about strangers and all that crap.

[Zen]

26 , my wife is 23.

She is active AirForce , and I am a US Army vet.

We live in Idaho on an Air Force Base.

[xXiMDisTuRB3DXx]

Wow you must be lucky to live there cuz that'd be cool... So have fun with your life... still teach your children the right things... WHEN THEy ARE OLD ENOUGH

[BlackJackal]

both of my grandfathers were in airforce. one wwii & korea, other Korea homefornt. airforce is in my blood. rock:

[Merlin122]

your best bet is to turn off the TV at dinner. so they cant really know the horrors of the world. the kids i babysit still dont know about the war or september 11

[Wilko]

My Mum just waited until I was about 5 or 6, then told me about these things in a frank, straightforward manner, but i think it depends on the maturity of the children. If they're more mature, they can be told at a younger age, etc.
I don't have children, nor do i plan to in the near future (me = 19, so i consider this to be a wise course of action biggrin: ), But for what it's worth, I would do precisely the same thing if i were raising children. I have an 8 year old sister, and that's pretty much the way i went about explaining to her why she had to watch continual tapes of 'The Simpsons' on September 11, instead of normal tv rolleyes:

[Merlin122]

[quote="Captain Wilkins":36913]My Mum just waited until I was about 5 or 6, then told me about these things in a frank, straightforward manner, but i think it depends on the maturity of the children. If they're more mature, they can be told at a younger age, etc.
I don't have children, nor do i plan to in the near future (me = 19, so i consider this to be a wise course of action biggrin: ), But for what it's worth, I would do precisely the same thing if i were raising children. I have an 8 year old sister, and that's pretty much the way i went about explaining to her why she had to watch continual tapes of 'The Simpsons' on September 11, instead of normal tv rolleyes:[/quote:36913]

i wouldnt mind watching the simpsons over and over oOo:

[Zen]

I understand what you guys are saying , to be sure.

But you see , my wife is Active Duty. She wears a uniform that my children see on there G.I.Joes. They are in a millitary familly.
So I MUST address what that means. Why the Guard at the gates wants to see our IDs , why mom salutes , ect.

To awnser these questions , I told my kids the truth. And gave a general explanation of the Air Force and the Millitary. I also have lots of pictures of myself and our ( my wife and I ) parents in uniform or around millitary things or in uniform.

So I have no option but to tell them about these things.

Now they are very young.....

And I do not want to damage there innocence any more than nessecary.

I don't show them pictures of dead bodies or anything like that ...lol.

But I also want them to understand that the world around them has many problems and many wonders.

I want my children to have a solid understanding of not only themselves but the world they live in. I think this will promote confidence and pride in themselves.

For instance : My Dauther loves Dinosaurs , Astronomy , and the Roman Empire* as much as Barbie , The PowerPuff Girls and French Fries.
She sees the good things on the news as well as the bad. She was actually disapointed about the rover being lost , and showed joy when it was back on-line.

( * The Roman Empire - I have Roman Armor and a Gladius in my house )

[imported_Fluffy_Bunny]

I believe in telling kids the truth, or a simplified version of the truth as you have done. They don't need to understand the whole situation, just the basics & telling her that the little girl is 'gone' is a good example.
Children will eventually find out the truths for themselves at some time, once they watch & understand the news then they will begin to learn. There's no point going into explicit detail because you will probably mess up their head. The first time I realised the world isn't all its cracked up to be was when I was about 15 and read a book about the Vietnam War called Chickenhawk. The author went into some detail on what the VC did to captured pilots...
I also found the site 'Massacres of the Second World War' which was quite interesting.

[imported_Fluffy_Bunny]

Originally Posted by Merlin122

your best bet is to turn off the TV at dinner. so they cant really know the horrors of the world. the kids i babysit still dont know about the war or september 11

That's wrong imho

[Merlin122]

[quote="Fluffy_Bunny":c470f]

Originally Posted by Merlin122

your best bet is to turn off the TV at dinner. so they cant really know the horrors of the world. the kids i babysit still dont know about the war or september 11

That's wrong imho[/quote:c470f]

i said something about osama bin laden to their mother and she just shhhhhsed me. so i assume they know nothing of the attacks or war

[imported_Fluffy_Bunny]

How old are they?

[Zen]

That is exactly how my mom is !

Shhhhhh , the KIDS.

[Merlin122]

[quote="Fluffy_Bunny":65393]How old are they?[/quote:65393]

4 and 5