Explaining the War in Palestine to Children Who Still Believe Life Is Fair

Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power.

Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash

I cannot claim to be an expert on Palestine or even have a comprehensive understanding of why Israel is doing its damndest to wipe it off the face of the Earth. If I’m honest, I don’t care about the nuances of those politics. I care about real human beings suffering and dying in a ceaseless attack on their existence.

I try to explain what’s happening there to my children who are insulated from that kind of trauma. We might be living through the dumbest administration in the history of our country, but we still have no concept of the deprivation and violence being experienced in other countries. It’s hard to explain children being murdered and families starving over a hot dinner and our comfortable home.

But what kind of parent would I be if I didn’t tell them that the world is more than just YouTube and TikTok trends and that the violence of their video games pales in comparison to the genocide happening a world away? How do I inform them without scaring them? How do I educate them without traumatizing them with the reality of how bad things can get?

Perhaps their love of YouTube can bridge this informational gap.