10th Year Anniversary of 9/11

10th Year Anniversary of 9/11

By Mary Jane Rotheram Ph.D.
September 6th, 2011

It is important that parents discuss 9/11 with children in a manner that is consistent with the child's developmental understanding.

For children who are under the age of 10 years, it is a sad event in our country's history in which about 3000 people were killed and many more were hurt and scared.

For children who are at least 15 years of age, the anniversary is an opportunity for them to understand sad events in new ways.  Parents can help children tell their story of 9/11, what happened and what it means.  It is useful not to stereotype or to even involve the idea that the terrorists were Muslims.  The airplane attacks were by people who wanted to cause death and trouble for our country.  The people who took over the planes were motivated to cause as much harm as possible to Americans.

Children can think about where they were, who they were with, what happened on TV, and how the people are doing today.

The biggest challenge will be among middle childhood children who really do not remember what occurred and whose thinking has been shaped by the media.  Talking about a few important facts helps your children begin to form attitudes about terrorism, the United States' role with other countries, and the role of terrorists today.