Getting the message to the younger generation

Im sure its been discussed on here before, but how do i covey the importance of how much we owe to those that fought in the war, without boring my ten year old son, id like him to understand the sacrifice and bravery of those that played their part. In simple terms, how can i describe to him what life would have been like if the Germans had invaded etc etc, I dont want to DRILL facts an figures into him so that he finds it a chore etc etc. but just generate a respect of what people went through and what they sacrificed,We have visited most of the museums so he knows what happened etc.....................

 

Rent some good war movies to watch and generate alittle interest perhaps.

Zulu would be a good one to watch and then have him read up on it if interested.

 

I'm sure many of us would be able to educate our children with our values regarding commemorations, tributes etc... We all have our tricks . Mine is to take my sons to the D-Day beaches and have them ask veterans to dedicate posters and tell their stories. I also convince veterans and former resistants to go to schools. However I must admit that I not very positive regarding the general public. Most youngsters consider these stories as if they happened 2000 years ago , they don't really care and when I orgnanise commemorations, there will hardly be any children attending.

 

well, I would say to remember how your father or grandfather told you their stories. At age 10, true accurate facts may not be attention getters. I say go for the spice and tell them about the battle scenes much like in a movie. Once the seed is planted and when they grow older tell them the stories again with some facts thrown in. The questions will come. At least that is how I remembered it from my childhood. My grandfather a WWII vet and My father a Vietnam vet and Now me a modern war vet (Panama, First Gulf War, El Salvador).

 

I agree!!

I remember my grandfather telling me stories while I was sitting on his lap next to a fire..........long time ago. I have been ever fascinated since. Also TV these days plays a role, watch a movie with son and see how he reacts.

 

Mine're getting it by osmosis:

just like I did from my dad & grandad.

Get 'em fascinated while having fun and the respect and appreciation can come later, it's already happening with my 5 year old who's been asking slightly worried but fascinated questions ever since seing the Ohka suicide 'plane' at Cosford.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

Sloniksp, We must have had the same Grandfather.

 

Show them some good films full of action, not necessarily vey accurate. Lots of Schmeissers! Where Eagles Dare, The Dirty Dozen, Guns of Navarone, etc. The Longest Day for something more serious. Take them to the vehicle shows. That should do the trick

 

obviously quite dependent in what country you live. youth today in the states cannot even remember let alone were even thought of during the times of Viet Nam. the craziness of the mid-east has everyone on edge but are thanks given to those men/women returning home from their service time ?. no-way. Hopefully they have not been spit upon or beer bottles thrown at them like we had been subjected to after Nam. Nobody gives a rats pa-tooty about ww2 vets, they are a bunch of old guys so says the youth of today. had these young whipper snappers been alive during the turbulent 20'sto late 40's they would of had an eye full if not a belly full ........

I explained some years back to my lovely daughter and handsome son what it was about - they get it fortunately and still have a strong interest in the historical aspects of why today. Instead of silly non-truthful movies I would personally recommend taking them - your kids - to the library if there are books covering the WW 2 era and have not been banned since it is not politically correct

 

A day out to a good museum and a good over view book without going to deep.

 

we started out with my war movies and the legend, John Wayne. It then went into the age old fight between good and evil. Then we visited museums and he got a kick out of getting into the tanks and we pretended to be fighting. In his teens, we did alot of gaming (pz gen, close combat, etc). We also watched some of the more graphic movies such as saving private ryan, and more current jarhead. I explained about 'real' war. We also saw some of the foreign films, Das Boot and El Alamein. Now he is joining the Air Force with a more realistic outlook and appreciation of what serving in the military means. At least more so than his peers. He did want to join the marines but after seeing the latrines and the maintenance of them, he said forget it.

 

If I ever have a kid I am going to make a point of not exposing him to TV until later. The biggest problem with kids today is that they weren't exposed to reading at a young enough age. I am a product of that. I think with reading comes a better respect for things like history. I hope that slowly he will come to realize and respect what has gone on in the past and how it has shaped the world we live in today.

 

I grew up reading. This sparked my interest for and respect of the military and the sacrifices of men and women in uniform. Above all I was not spoiled as a child. I had a weekly allowance of .50 cents and there was only one television in the house. There was no such thing as a PC, video game or IPod. Skateboards, pogo sticks and footballs were the entertainment of the day. At night I lay in bed reading until I was made to turn my lights off, then I used a flashlight. I believe that a child who hasn't been spoiled stands a good chance of grasping a firm understanding of something important early on.

 

Amen.

 

Coffee table books with lots of pictures. Slip one in with the usual animal/insect/earth/universe/anatomy books.
A good one might be Battle, by R.G.Grant
"A visual journey through 5,000 years of combat"
Great pic's, maps, paintings, statues, museum pieces, uniforms/soldiers.
Kinda pricey, 30-40$
Been out since 11-05
Let him find it on his own (so it's his idea), then feed the fire.

 

The trouble with reading anymore is it is too expensive ! Used to be you could get paperbacks for under $2.00 new. Now even used stuff is expensive. You can go to the library but their selection may be limited.
A good airplane book with lots of pictures runs over $30 these days.

 

I agree with Zulu, pretty colors throughout, and plenty of action/drama. As well maybe Kelly's Heros for the humor, treasure hunting, and action.
There's no cheap way out, but what are you supposed to spend your money on, if not your kids?
Education is expensive, but so is stupidity.

 

As a "kid" of 18 I'd like to throw in my $0.02

Don't try and force anything on them, mostly lead by example. I'm constantly reading, watching, or researching history related things (my main interests are WW1 and WW2) and not trying to get my bros into it and they've learned allot through me. My older brother knows many things about history in general now and has an interest in it. Even my 8 year old little brother asks me when he's playing plastic soldiers "is this a king tiger Matt?"
My grandfather always invited me to come watch WWII movies with him and that's what got me started, but almost all of what I know now was done on my own because I had the interest and motivation.

So just to sum it up, take it slow, lead by example and it will come. They may not be an avid historian like we here but they will have a good understanding and appreciation of history.



Matt

 

You must feel quite passionate about this topic if this is the first thread to move you to post in six months Matt!

In any case I agree with you. You can't "make" any kids learn anything, but you can ensure that they are exposed to the proper material that if/when they are interested, they have access to the historical info. Films are a great start, then move up from there. I'm a teacher, and I try to include history in my lessons every chance I get!