Twin Towers and the Big Bang...

One day driving somwhere Ian looked out the window and told me he saw the twin towers. I asked where he heard about them and he told me it was when he went to the Empre State building with Mike. I made a mental note to ask what they had discussed and kept mum for the moment, feeling a very fleeting... but very deep sadness that one day he would know about terror.

Mike confirmed that at the ESB there was a video which featured the twin towers. THe begining of the film had some indication that they had not edited it out for reasons of preserving something.. but basically the message was that they had not yet edited the video. Little did "they" know the impact the twin towers would have on small children - I am guessing not just my own.

A week later on the way to the monster truck show we were watching the NYC skyline and Ian again, excitedly said that he saw the twin towers. He excited explained how they were built and that one had a pole on top and the other did not and on and on until Daron said he saw them too. We were speakign in soft tones in Hebrew in the front seat until Ian said "right mom?" again and again or something like that. To which I said "Um, I dont think they are there anymore." "Why not?" He asked. "Um... " (a word I tell clients never to use) ... "Well... I think they are building new ones ... right Daddy?" "Yes, the freedom towers." - he said.

"Yeah, they are building new ones that will be called the Freedom Towers" - I repeated - hoping to delay before the inevitable "why." - Which didn't come. Either he was satisfied to imagine what the new ones would look like or... he detected the sadness in our voices and left it at that.

... also on the way to Monster Jam (which was great fun again) - he said "Mommy, didn't Hashem create the sun."
"Yes"
"Then how come in the movie in the science museaum it said that first there were...(and here he continued with some very scientific chain of events involing particles and stars and floating - and I really didnt pay attention to the details of the quiestion as I realized..." he was asking me about the Big Bang.

"Well... I said and then asked Mike "Shamata mah hoo shoel?" - "Well - Hashem made all of that happen." "Oh" he said. ... for now.