After posting my previous post I re-read it and realized how ungrateful and whinny it sounded. I do still have the dialog but really...did I need to post such trivial matters? Today as I logged into our Internet and our home page came up. NPR web page if you must know...there on the screen was an image from Iraq. It was a Picture of a little girl with blood on her face standing amidst some soldiers. My heart sank and I felt this pang in my heart for this little girl who was in the back of a car that was fired upon by US soldiers. The blood on her, was that of her parents.
As I pulled up the picture Oscar (who had been eating lunch on the table behind me) said "Mom what is that?". I explained it was a little girl who lived in a place where there is a war going on. He went on..."What happened to her?" Deciding that I should tell him the truth (clearly wanting to illustrated that "war" is not a topic to take lightly.) I explained that she was injured by soldiers that accidentally fired on her families car.
Oscar's eyes got very big with sadness and asked "Are the Soldiers bad guys?" (how exactly was I supposed to answer that one?) My response was that they were not "bad guys" but that sometimes in war bad things happen like this.
Oscar then asked..."What about her parents? Why is she so sad?"
I explained that her Mommy and Daddy died and the soldiers were trying to help her.
Oscar got really sad, looked forlorn and went and sat on the couch. I gave him a big hug (a hug that if I could give that little girl I would) and told him that the little girl was probably taken care of (to this I'm not certain). He then asked if her mommy would come back to life? I told him no. The soldiers would find her a home with someone to take care of her.
I'm saddened that there children in the world who don't have a Mommy to explain things to them. Sad that humanity has the capacity to do such horrible things. Yet, hopefully that I may give Oscar the capacity to love and to feel sorrow for those in distress and a hope that he may be able to comfort and care for those less fortunate than himself.
It is about his time I question my decision in sharing this information with my 4 3/4 yr old. I want him to understand that truly there are horrible things that happen in the world. At the same time I also want to shelter him and prevent him from ever having to experience such sadness and terror.
For those of us(myself included) who may take the Iraq situation lightly I would recommend checking out this blog. It is heart wrenching but helped me to truly understand the sacrifice that is taking place on both sides of this war.
If only there could be more peace and love on the earth (And a surrogate Mother for all who are without.)
3 comments:
Woah. That's deep.
I think we all feel that...we want everyone to understand what is truly going on...
I'm ashamed of people I associate with, and they think that the war is no big deal, global warming isn't a big issue, starvation, disease, crime...doesn't happen in their area, doesn't affect them, so why should they care? I try to get them to understand...but it's so hard...
Thanks...Oscar is still concearned for the little girl but it's nice to know that he is sensitive to others pain.
I think human nature sometimes demands that we can't care for everything. I can't do anything about the war--it is overwhelming. But I am thankful for the soldiers who are willing to sacrifice so that I don't have to worry. But I can worry about one girl, she is a defined problem, rather that the unclearness of war, or global warming.
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