Explaining war at the dinner table. (Patreon)

Hello loves.

I wrapped tonight’s webcast with a promise that I would put my phone away. I lied.

So, tonight, Ash’s art teacher texted me and said that Ash (who just turned eight) could call her if he wanted to understand why Ashlie - one of the moms at pick-up - was crying. The teacher was worried. He didn’t understand.

I knew why Ashlie was probably crying. She has family in Israel.

So tonight over dinner, we had a twenty minute lesson in war. We explained World War 2 (which he knows about) and we explained Israel, and Palestine, and fighting, and feelings. And anger. And conflict.

When we got to the end, we asked him: if you were standing in a field with all these people fighting each other and you could tell them one thing, what would you tell them?

Ash thought about this.

“I would tell them to talk it out.”

Oh, my child.

We ended the exercise with a resolution to send our bedtime good wishes to everyone in pain tonight. Good wishes to everyone who is suffering. Good wishes to everyone who has family/whānau who may be in danger.

When you are a parent living in the goddamn woods with an eight year old and you see the footage of the missiles flying and then you are just standing there, doing the dinner dishes, this is all you can goddamn do.

Send the good wishes.

Send the prayers.

And be grateful that the sky above our house tonight is full of shining stars that do not move.

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