My son wants to know if we are winning

[brunhilda]

He is lying in front of the tv, mesmerized by war coverage. He wants to know if we are winning. He wants to know if people are dead. He wants to know why they are playing with guns (don't they know you're not supposed to do that?).

 

[Lancecastor]

He is lying in front of the tv, mesmerized by war coverage. He wants to know if we are winning. He wants to know if people are dead. He wants to know why they are playing with guns (don't they know you're not supposed to do that?).

Time for some Disney movies.

 

[Purple Haze]

My uncle is doing the same thing...

 

[Angel]

Uh, how old is your son and why exactly are you letting him stare at live war on TV?

 

[brunhilda]

Re: Re: My son wants to know if we are winning

Time for some Disney movies.

I tried that. He wants to know. He's really interested.

 

[Azwed]

Tell him no one realy wins in war but sometimes it is the most evil of all necessary evils.

 

[Chicklet]

hrm...babe, you should put on a kids show for him. CARTOOOOOONS

 

[Starblayde]

Re: Re: Re: My son wants to know if we are winning

I tried that. He wants to know. He's really interested.

Well tell him about it then. I was mesmerized by tanks and planes and missles last time too. (i was....9 or 10 at the time)

 

[brunhilda]

Uh, how old is your son and why exactly are you letting him stare at live war on TV?

Five, and partly because he has been seeing the war protestors in front of the federal building, and he wants to understand what is going on.

 

[Starblayde]

hrm...babe, you should put on a kids show for him. CARTOOOOOONS

GI Joe? Action Man?

 

[brunhilda]

Now he found his hamster, so he lost interest. But he IS going to want to know later.

 

[Angel]

Now he found his hamster, so he lost interest. But he IS going to want to know later.

Well good!

I have no clue how much a 5 year old can comprehend from what's being shown on TV. It's kinda boring

 

[brunhilda]

He understands a lot, actually. And if you quiz him over dinner, he'll know what's going on. I won't, but he will.

 

[Purrde Flower]

5 year oldss are amazingly smart and perceptive. I don't think wanting to know about the current event of war is a bad thing. Especialy right now because it is what is happening. There is no point in hiding it.

Limiting exposure is a good idea. But I wouldn't switch the channels to cartoons or Disney movies. Take him to the park or let him play outside. If he still ask questions try to explain it in the best way you think how.

 

[Lovepotion69]

I am not surprised he's interested. But can he tell the difference that this is real and not some movie? A lot of parents don't want their kids to watch violent movies because they believe it'll have a negative effect on the kid. Still, a lot of parents forget about the images news reports can have on children. I once read a report that there are far more scaring scenes during a normal news report than in a movie.

If he asks, explain to him. It's probably a good thing to talk about it.
I saw this article on the topic:
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/newspolfeatures/newsviews/articles/0,,164564_530713,00.html

Hope it helps.

 

[MNGuy]

I can't tell, the channel guide says NCAA tournament, but only the war is on.

 

[Amaterasu]

[hijack]

April - love that AV!

[/hijack]

 

[Guest]

I agree with what everyone is saying so far - children are very smart and they pick up more from the TV than we realize.

Our kids have a vague idea what is happening, and I think that's fine. I don't believe it's a good idea to shelter them completely.

After 9/11 our daughter (who is now 8) was concerned about all those planes hitting buildings (because they kept showing the different camera angles). She didn't realize it was only one plane. We had to talk about it - she needed to understand.

We are trying to keep it simple right now. There is a very bad man in charge of a country doing mean things to many people. The good guys are going in and we're going to kick his ass - no wait - that's not exactly what we said! lol

The good guys are going to try and fix things so everyone will be safe. And to do this, they will use weapons, but they have to do that to make the bad guy leave. Our 8 year old understands better than our 4 year old, obviously (she has asked how many people die from bombs, for example) but we're trying to give them pieces they can handle.

I don't know - it's tough - but it's easier than it was attempting to explain 9/11. At least in this case the war is over there.

We try to limit our news viewing when they are near the TV (on-line news works well for mommy and daddy). We're going for Cartoon Network and Gameboys for the kids!

 

[RosevilleCAguy]

He is lying in front of the tv, mesmerized by war coverage. He wants to know if we are winning. He wants to know if people are dead. He wants to know why they are playing with guns (don't they know you're not supposed to do that?).

Nobody wins in a war. It means that lots of people involved in a situation have made errors in judgment and that all of the civilized methods of problem resolution are no longer possible.

Get him a book to read instead.