OK so I actually have tears in my eyes here, tell me what to say, I did not think I'd have to have these conversations so soon...
I was doing a puzzle with DS in the living room, DH is home today and was watching the news in the other part of the room, which was covering the famine in Africa. It is quite a large room and it didn't even occur to me that DS would be taking it all in, until he put a hand on my shoulder and earnestly asked me "what is wrong with that little boy?" It was an African toddler, obviously severely malnourished, on the screen.
So I told him the little boy looked that way because he did not have enough food to eat. And of course, being 3yo, DS asked why. So I then told him that the boy lives in a part of the world where there is not enough food to feed everyone right now. And again, "Why?" So I tried talking about the gardens, as he understands that the plants need certain weather, sun/rain, etc. to grow., and understands about when we've lost plants to weather that there are less of them, etc. Thought I was doing ok. When he asked if they could not go to the store and buy food, I thought I explained alright that there simply wasn't food there to buy, even if they had enough money. I did my best, anyway.
DS got this offended look on his face. He moved to stand in front of me and held my head with both hands and looked me square in the eye, and said "Mummy, you mean that boy is sick because he has no food at all? He is huuuuungry? Mummy we have food everywhere! Why do we have lots and lots and lots when he is so hungry?" Enter my epic fail when I said that we live in a part of the world that is fortunate to have lots of food right now and that little boy lives in a part of the world where there is not enough food right now.
My three year old son would not have this. In front of DH and I, he put his hands on his hips and said "Daddy! Mummy got my bags (grobags) from the United Kingdom and my special train from China and sends things everywhere on here and here and here (pointing to our big globe). WHY would she not send food to this huuuuuuungry baby?"
And, being the crappiest mummy on earth, I welled up with tears and hugged him and had absolutely no bloody idea what to say. DH looked at me as though he was helpless and has just taken DS out to play ball, which distracted him immediately.
But distracting him was wrong, and DH and I both know that. I should have known what to say or do. He was just so innocent and genuinely could not comprehend my crappy explanations.
We are so big on telling him the truth about things - what the hell. I feel so crap. :( Like really massive failure in my mummy job.
I feel like this unexpected moment was important and I absolutely failed.
This sucks.