I might have gone too far with mature content...

[Perogi]

I read a novella about Hiroshima with dd 10yo tonight. Right before bed, no less. She is my practical to a fault, unemotional child, and she was getting teary. I stopped reading, hugged her and empathized with her feelings but she assured me she's "used to it by now" as we're studying the World Wars right now.

 

The story was short and not overly graphic but the truth of Hiroshima is rather difficult to grapple with.

 

Hoping she sleeps through the night...

[Farrar]

Right there with you with my 9.5 yos.  On the final book we read about the Holocaust - one I thought would be a hopeful note to end on because it was about the liberation of a camp - one of my boys completely broke down.  Everything we had done was pretty gentle for the age, I thought (we watched Paperclips, read a few things like Number the Stars, etc.) but apparently it was the straw that broke the camel's back.  World War II is just a killer topic.  Can you believe I'm really looking forward to the Cold War?  Vietnam seems peachy after all this.

[MiMi 4under3]

My kids appreciate stories with all the "real" details included. They want to know the truth about what happened in history without glossing over the sometimes gruesome details.

And yes, we've had some nights when they needed extra hugs or "mommy-time" at bedtime.  

 

[lewelma]

I made the mistake of having my 12 year old read Brave New World.  Mature in a different way than your situation, but still too much at too young an age.  Live and learn.

 

Ruth in NZ

[lewelma]

I agree with you Sadie; however, I am purposely avoiding detailed information with my very sensitive 10 year old this year while we are doing modern history.  There is time, and I have learned my lesson with my older.

 

I still vividly remember going to the Holocaust museum in the US about 20 years ago.  Some things are better left until later. The videos of the human experimentation still haunt me.

[lewelma]

For good or for bad, my dh does history together with the boys, so I have to manage what is appropriate for both.  So this year I have a 4th and 8th grader in modern history, which is definitely challenging.  He needs to protect the younger while answering the older's questions.  He is finding that 'stay up late night' with the older is all about answering the questions that he hedges on when doing read alouds together.

[MiMi 4under3]

Oh, I agree. I delay any formal study of Modern History till 6th grade, just so my kids can have that extra bit of maturity before I introduce a study of the Holocaust.

 

My (jewish) kids first learned explicitly about the Holocaust in K4 - it's something we strive to "never forget!"  :(

[Mommyfaithe]

I made the mistake of having my 12 year old read Brave New World. Mature in a different way than your situation, but still too much at too young an age. Live and learn.

 

Ruth in NZ

I did this with ds when he was 15, with This Perfect Day. OY!!! What was I thinking!! The looks that kid gave me. He lived....lol!

[Haiku]

When we did modern history, my kids were in 4th and 3rd. We focused on social, cultural, and scientific issues and mostly avoided the wars. My kids know there were two world wars and who was involved, but the most they know of Hitler is "he killed many people in extermination camps." I did not go into detail about him or about the nuclear bombs. I think it's best saved for older kids.

[FO4UR]

My (jewish) kids first learned explicitly about the Holocaust in K4 - it's something we strive to "never forget!"   :(

 

 

We took the kids to hear a Holocaust Survivor speak 2 years ago.  The kids were 9, 8, and 6.  We prepped them with basic info before, and answered questions after.  They were largely fascinated with hearing about how he hid and survived.  I did take the opportunity to emphasize that many people, just like that nice man, died.  I did NOT show them pictures of the Holocaust or go into more detail than "Hitler hated the Jews only b/c they were Jews and he had them taken from their homes, brought to concentration camps.  Most of them died there."  So...they have a superficial understanding, and they know Mommy has a strong opinion on the matter. My dd found a child's book about Anne Frank and read it over several times.

 

 

So, I'm pro-exposing young children in an age-appropriate manner.  I agree that we HAVE to teach about this b/c it cannot happen again.

 

 

That said, I go into SOTW 4 with a bit of anxiety over the handling of these things.  I do think it will be tricky to find the line between what they need to know and what they can emotionally handle at this time.  This won't be the last time we study WWII.  We can save some things for high school.

[Soror]

I started a documentary on the atom bomb that ended up being too much this year. He had loved the book Bomb so I thought we would study a bit more, well when it got to the part of where they dropped the bombs and they showed the shadows that were left he asked me to turn it off. No tears or such but it was certainly too much, the girls were oblivious thankfully.

[Perogi]

Well she made it through the night. Seems fine this morning. It may come up again but I think it's okay.

 

We had "studied" Hiroshima but the book centered on a young girl dd's age who survived the bomb but was badly injured. I think making it that personal and "close to home" is what made it more challenging.

 

Generally I agree that literature is a good way to introduce and discuss these sensitive and disturbing (yet necessary) topics. Particularly because the child's imagination can only go so far and is somewhat limited by what they can handle, rather than something visual that might be shocking and they can't "unsee".

[Chrysalis Academy]

:grouphug:  Melissa, I'm glad your dd is ok this morning.  I was right there with you all year, constantly pre-reading and second guessing my choices.  The only really bad one (for her) was Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - she hated it and wished she hadn't read it.  I toned down what I had planned for WW2 after that, and also for the black experience in the south pre-civil rights.  We covered those topics factually, with nonfiction that didn't have too many graphic pictures, but stayed away from fictional accounts.  What my dd expressed was that it was hard for her to read fictional accounts, because she would get pulled into the story, love the characters, and then would feel it so deeply when horrible things happened to them or their families - it was the feeling it, on a whole deeper level than the knowing about it, that I decided I didn't need to push on her as an 11 year old.  

 

I think these are important topics that should be covered, and 6th grade is certainly an appropriate time, but I realized that there are better and worse ways to cover it, depending on the sensibilities of your child.  I don't think there is anything wrong with avoiding things that haunt a 10 or 11 year old so that they can't sleep.  

 

I also have the issue of having a younger one who is often listening in,.  I try and be careful what we are reading and discussing in front of her, up to a point.  Meaning, I don't avoid things entirely, but I do try and redirect her attention sometimes.  And there are videos/docos I've chosen to skip because it would be hard to exclude her from seeing them.