“We have something to tell you. You can’t go to school for a few days or maybe a few weeks.”
A few weeks? That’s a very long time.
“I know, it really is!”
Why not?
“Well, some countries are fighting and it’s not safe to go to school right now. Your teachers will give you some activities that you can do here at home.”
What countries are fighting?
“Some of them. They aren’t fighting here.”
Why can’t I go to school?
“When countries fight, sometimes people get hurt. And they’re not fighting here, but sometimes the fight comes here.”
Oh. Well, I guess I get to spend more time with my family!
“That’s right, and we’ll make sure you have lots of things to do here. Now, there’s some chance that the fight could come here and we might have to go away soon.”
Go to another country where it’s safe?
“Yes, we would go somewhere safe. But that’s probably not going to happen. We just don’t want you to be surprised.”
What if the fight comes here and one of you gets killed?
“That’s really, really not likely. We just want to keep you safe.”
Why are they fighting?
“I don’t know, sometimes countries fight. Sometimes they just fight.”
Thank you for addressing the question that’s been running through my mind. How do you explain to children - yours and others across the expanding war-scape - the madness adults have wrought.