Mumsnet Talk

Ds is six and recently half watched (ie played while I watched a documentary on Ian Brady and the moors killings and I told him about it (just the basics, missed out a lot of the details). He said how terrible it was and we talked about it but he understood that doesn't often happen. They are old enough to have the situation explained to them, yabu and precious.

oldmumsy , you mentioned earlier that "they" are not like "us" in the west....

You mentioned that you dont care a jot if palestinian babies die.

I am so pleased to say that "us" in the west are not like you!

Not in our name. Don't assume that "us" in the west will stand with you shoulder to shoulder because " they are not like us".

We are NOT on your side by default.

In fact, i am outraged by your government's complete disregard for palestinian babies, because we in the west recognise palestinians as humans too which you and your government does not!

oldmumsy, the op asked about her reaction to a protest. She got our reactions to that. All terribly straightforward and civilised. The protest could have been about any one of several issues. It just happened to be about the ME.
Then you rock up and derail the thread by making unpleasant comments about innocent children and turn it into a political bunfight.
If you want to debate it with people then start your own thread.

I'm 47 and there is next to nothing I can do about the situation in the ME other than donate money. I have no issue at all about explaining what is going on (as best as I am able in such a complex issue) to my 8 yr old ds. Although he did ask questions I struggled to answer.

Old mum - I think that many peoples understanding of the region is more nuanced than you give credit for. Killing people from either side is abhorent. Just because some person does willy waving does not mean that we have to say it is right. It is not race based critisism - it is a piss poor situation based on historical shite because people in Europe felt guilt after Ww2. It is not the Palistinians fault it is Europe & the US's . Having said that bombing the end out of each other is not the way forward.

I would not have liked my children to hear somebody shouting this. Children of 7 and nine can do nothing about the situation in the middle east so I don't think they should need their awareness raised at that young age. That is my opinion. YANBU.

OldMumsy, just seen your later posts. I assume you mean have I been to Gaza? No, I haven't. Have you?

OldMumsy I live in the UK and am British and was very lucky to survive being rather too close to one of the 7/7 bombers at the time he chose to detonate his bomb so I also know what it is like to be bombed and have witnessed and experienced that horror first hand. If you live in Israel I assume your government is the one that runs the country.

As I've said before I think your government's timing is extremely coming a week after the US elections and clearly seeking to involve Iran in a wider ME conflict.

NopeMiss- unless you are are only buying the shoes made in this country you have a moral obligation to explain to you kids the whys and wherefores of of international geopolitics. My 2 - of 8 and 10 know exactly the implication of the cheap shoes, cheap oil, peace in Europe for the most part. They understand the implication of international outsourcing on the day to day level.

So having never been to the region means a person can't have an opinion? Riiiight okay then OldMumsy.

Keep trying to justify your racist opinions in any way you can.

Meanwhile,right thinking individuals will continue to be horrified by the actions of both the Israeli government and Hamas.

Have you ever been to the region? Have you ever lived there? And spoken to the people there?

Have you ever been the region?

Yep, that sounds about the right level for someone who defends the slaugher of babies.

The only people who have tried to kill me personally have been Palestinians, why would I have any truck with them?

Those targets are Hamas leaders who have chosen to live amongst civilians, how brave.

Whats your government bisjo, who are you?

OldMumsy we get coverage of both sides of the story and form opinions accordingly. I'm not sure your government's position is helped at all by their actions of today in bombing foreign journalists in two separate places let alone the indiscriminate bombing of children. The fact that your government are at pains to point out that all the 120 rocket attacks today have been accurately targeted is shocking, since those targets are children.

I have actually lived in Israel and been subject to rockets being rained down on us indiscriminately so this colours my opinions of Palestinians and what was the PLO in those days. I understand that Hamas have picked up the baton and run with it since. I find it basically incomprehensible that so many right on Mumsnetters are so happy to support the people who have spent the last few years shelling civilians as long as they are Jewish.

Bisjo that is exactly what I do.

Don't you just give an age appropriate explanation which is enough to satisfy the questions asked? It is not difficult. I take my lead from ds on how much he wants to know, eg US elections is something he was very interested so we had lots of discussions about that.

The thing is, the world isn't a neat place where there is a way of reconciling everyone's needs and beliefs. The need for protest against attrocities does not mesh neatly with your need to help your son understand the world. the two things are, in this particular instance, at odds.

It is for you as his parent to decide how you best deal with this, not for others to change how they deal with the terrible thing they are protesting against.

None of us can order the world according to what we want for our children - we can only do our best to guide them through the realities of it. There are people on this thread who have had to help their children through far worse, life-changing things. It's not fair, but it just has to be dealt with.