What age is appropriate for the Holocaust Museum?

[mommylamb]

Sorry that this is so long.

DS1 (age 6) has recently become fascinated with military history issues, and in particular seems very interested in World War II. I don't know how this started exactly. It's not something we talk about at home really. His interest is pretty focused on the military aspect, more so than the cultural/political issues. We don't allow guns or gun toys in the house, but he is interested in books about guns and tanks, etc, and why countries fight. Pretty normal boy stuff, IME.

Some background on us: I am culturally Jewish, but consider myself to be agnostic from a religious perspective. My father was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany after the war and came to the U.S. with his parents when he was 1. My grandparents were Holocaust survivors. My grandmother was German and my grandfather was Polish, but "escaped" to Russia and spent much of the war in a slave camp in Siberia. It's not a pretty story. The Holocaust loomed large over my childhood, and to a large extent, I still identify as being Jewish because of it. I was very close to my grandmother growing up and all of my grandparents friends were survivors. DH is not Jewish. He has his masters degree in the history of international relations, and probably knows a lot more about the war than I do to be honest.

This all started with DS1 about a month ago when he brought home a book from the library that was a children's history of WWII. The audience for the book was probably middle school age, but DS1 insisted that I read it to him. Clearly the library is not censoring what books the kids pick out. But I think I've come to terms with that and I'm ok with it. I was reluctant at first to read it to him, but I also felt like it was an opportunity to start a discussion with him, so I did it. I was amazed how interested he was. He's a typical 6 year old, with a 6 year old's attention span, but was fascinated by this. Maybe he'll take after DH with an interest in history.

The book was organized in chapters based on the year (so chapter 1 was 1939, etc), and basically outlined the military maneuverings of the war, but was light on the genocide and political reasons for war. So, he learned stuff about when different countries were invaded, etc. Fun times, let me tell you. I got to answer all sorts of questions-- everything from "Why did World War I start?" (good lord... I found myself saying "Well Germany was friends with Austria, and Russia was friends with Serbia" that was a real struggle to explain because DS1 doesn't really even understand the geography) to "Was Hitler evil even when he was a baby?" I brought out the globe, we talked about it multiple times for the next several days. Since then, he has asked me on multiple occasions if he can watch "war movies" by which he means PBS documentaries about WWII. He is pretty tough, and I've allowed him to see some of the images that are disturbing, and he has been ok with it. Please don't flame me for allowing him to watch these. It has been a real struggle for me, and we're taking it day by day.

So, I've been thinking about maybe taking him to the Holocaust museum. It has been a very long time since I've gone, even though we live here in DC. To be honestly, I've done a crap job educating him about our family's history up until now. And he seems to be showing me that he's got at least a basic level of maturity and an interest. I know when I was 6 I knew a lot more about what had happened than he does because I spent time with my grandparents and their friends. It's just such a hard topic to talk about and it's easy to just not do it.

DS1 is off from school for 2 weeks over the Christmas period, and DS2 will be in daycare for part of that time. Should I take him? Am I going to totally freak out doing so?

[lizzywednesday]

Personally, I wouldn't do the full exhibit at 6 yrs old, but I might do the child's POV exhibit:

http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/museum-exhibitions/remember-the-children-daniels-story/

HOWEVER ... the museum's website recommends it for children aged 8 and up. I would poke around there for ideas of what to expect and whether the presentation would be disturbing to your DS.

If you think he will be OK, I would plan on that and only that. It's very well-done and still sticks in my memory - I was 16 when I visited, though, and purposefully remembered a lot of the bits & pieces because I had no frame of reference and needed it for a stage show I'd been cast in because my character just wasn't gelling for me. In college, I met a guy who was a descendant of the family portrayed in the exhibition, which I found to be quite interesting.

You might also be interested in the art/poetry collection I Never Saw Another Butterfly ... (available here: http://www.amazon.com/Never-Saw-Another-Butterfly-Concentration/dp/0805210156) which is a collection of artwork & poetry written by children & adolescents who passed through the Terezeinstadt detention camp. Terezin was a kind of "model camp" way-station on the way to Auschwitz and Buchenwald death camps; it was what the Nazis would show the Red Cross and League of Nations inspectors when they asked questions about the deportations. It was instrumental in the propaganda machine.

[rachelh]

It has been years since I was at the one in DC. More recently I was at Yad Vashem in Israel. I would not feel comfortable taking DD who is 7 there. I don't think DD is old enough to grasp the enormity of it. She will not understand how there can be so much hatred in the world and will ask why G-d let it happen. I am also not ready for her to see those graphic pictures.

[egoldber]

Well, my kids are both very sensitive and anxious, so no I would not. Also, I remember being haunted by images I saw when I was in high school during a unit on the Holocaust.

The link lizzywednesday gave above has a virtual tour of the Children's tour, which is recommended for ages 8+. That may help you decide.

FWIW, I have not taken either of my kids to the Holocaust Museum yet, although we have talked to older DD about it and she has read some books.

[JBaxter]

I agree. Nathan is 10 and with his personality Im not sure he's ready for the pictures. He reads a lot of history stories ( he just read Killing Lincoln) But I would have to do alot of prep before he could go
It has been years since I was at the one in DC. More recently I was at Yad Vashem in Israel. I would not feel comfortable taking DD who is 7 there. I don't think DD is old enough to grasp the enormity of it. She will not understand how there can be so much hatred in the world and will ask why G-d let it happen. I am also not ready for her to see those graphic pictures.

[AnnieW625]

My cousin went with her parents when she was 14 or 15 and she said it was hard then and she is not an overly sensitive child.

[lizzywednesday]

It has been years since I was at the one in DC. More recently I was at Yad Vashem in Israel. I would not feel comfortable taking DD who is 7 there. I don't think DD is old enough to grasp the enormity of it. She will not understand how there can be so much hatred in the world and will ask why G-d let it happen. I am also not ready for her to see those graphic pictures.

If I am remembering it correctly, the children's exhibit in DC does not have graphic images (no skeletal concentration camp prisoners, etc.) but they do go through the ghettoization of cities to Kristallnacht to the camps in simple displays. It is all very well done and while it's very emotional, I don't recall anything visually graphic, but, again, it's been nearly 20 years since my visit.

The longer, full, multi-floor, exhibition, however, there is NO WAY that I would take a child under the age of 12 or 13 with whom I could have a more thorough discussion. It's amazing ... and I am told by friends who have been to both that the one at Yad Vashem is more impressive for the sheer scale. It is both horrific and hopeful in some points ... those spots of hope are what kept my friend & I moving through the full exhibit when we visited about 12 or so years ago.

In addition to the history of the Nazi propaganda machine, there are death camp photos, memorabilia, and, in one of the last corridors before the eternal flame memorial & guestbook, an entire display of shoes in a plexiglass box while you're standing in a corridor filled with family portraits on walls that go all the way up to the ceiling.

It's a very moving display all the same and brings you into a quiet contemplative state (IMO) fitting for what I can only describe as a "chapel' area where the eternal flame burns.

[rachelh]

My cousin went with her parents when she was 14 or 15 and she said it was hard then and she is not an overly sensitive child.

It's hard for me! I cannot imagine how hard it can be on kids...

[mommylamb]

Thanks everyone. I'll definitely do some more research into the children's exhibit. I am just at a loss as to how to talk to him about this stuff, and yet I feel like I'm really short changing by not talking to him about it, especially as he keeps asking about history, and seems to have an interest in WWII. We've talked in very general terms so far. I know that I was very well versed on what had happened at a very young age.

[BabyBearsMom]

Maybe do the WW2 memorial and air & space to see some of the ww2 planes? I haven't gone to the holocaust museum yet because I don't think I could take it :(

[Indianamom2]

I don't think I would take a 6 year old, even with a strong interest in this because I think it would do more to worry/scare a child that age than to educate them. He will also remember it much better when he's a few years older. I think it would be a great thing to do, just not quite yet.

[lizzywednesday]

It's hard for me! I cannot imagine how hard it can be on kids...

It's hard for anyone, I think.

One of the most difficult and valuable parts of it for me was that it put human faces on an overwhelmingly dark chapter of world history.

It is amazing and there is value in going, but I think the sheer scale of the inhumanity is what makes it such a difficult place, both physically and emotionally.

[SnuggleBuggles]

It's hard for anyone, I think.

One of the most difficult and valuable parts of it for me was that it put human faces on an overwhelmingly dark chapter of world history.

It is amazing and there is value in going, but I think the sheer scale of the inhumanity is what makes it such a difficult place, both physically and emotionally.

Agree with all. I went just once, when I was 20. They did an amazing job on the museum. We didn't make it to the kids' exhibit so I can't comment. I'd lean towards going with the museums 8+ recommendation though.

[marinkitty]

Your son sounds just like my middle child, who is now 8.5. He has been very interested in war history for a couple of years. We have found a lot of books that are great, but we have also started some that we later decided were too involved or graphic.

I would not take him (or his younger brother, 6) to the Holocaust museum yet. I just think the horror of that aspect of the war hits very hard when seen in pictures. My older two know about the Holocaust, but I don't think they are ready for the graphic images yet. Or even a very in-depth discussion.

I visited Anne Frank's house the summer going into 7th grade - so 12? And my brother was 9. He wasn't upset by it, but I think the Holocaust museums probably have a slightly more troubling feel to them. I went to Dachau and the Prague Jewish quarter as a teen and felt like that was fine - it was very upsetting, but it is supposed to be upsetting and I was old enough to understand it.

[crayonblue]

The first time I went, as an adult, I wept so much that I had a migraine by the end of the tour. I *think* I would take DD1 who is almost 10, if we still lived outside of D.C. My personal take on things is that as a cultural we way, way over shield our kids from the realities of death. But, at the same time, our kids are inundated by violence--video games, tv, movies, etc. So, they understand violence and killing people but they have no emotional connection to it at all. So, I'm perfectly fine with exposing kids to the emotional side of death and actually think that is very healthy for kids, even young kids.

Mommylamb, if you do take your DS, I think I might rush right past the medical experiments section.

[maestramommy]

When I was a teacher, I traveled with an 8th grade class to DC, to visit the Holocaust Museum. It was really intense for the kids.

FWIW, a couple of weeks ago DD1 (8yo) was looking at a banner in our church that had a swastiska, with an X through it. She wanted to know why there was an X, what was it crossing out. I had to explain that, and tried to do it in the simplest of turns (swastika was a sign for the Nazis, who wanted to kill all Jews). Maybe too simplistic. In a later conversation I explained WWII in really simple terms.

ETA: OP you might be interested in seeing this, maybe with your DS. I thought of it when pp said the sheer scale of inhumanity is hard to understand. This was a REALLY GOOD film. Powerful but without having to actually view the horrors.

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Paper-Clips/70012789?strkid=752573887_0_0&strackid=195651381ff7c8da_0_srl&trkid=222336

[mommylamb]

It definitely sounds like it's something to skip for now. I'm feeling a bit stupid for having asked.

[lizzywednesday]

It definitely sounds like it's something to skip for now. I'm feeling a bit stupid for having asked.

Please, don't feel stupid. You asked a simple question about a complicated piece of history.

If you haven't been, it's hard to explain exactly how the place makes you feel. I hope that you'll explore the link I provided upthread for a better insight into why those of us who have been there are leaning towards "no, probably not" simply because of how difficult we ourselves found the place.

[crayonblue]

It definitely sounds like it's something to skip for now. I'm feeling a bit stupid for having asked.

No, no, don't feel stupid!

[wellyes]

Don't feel stupid. Your son sounds remarkable. It's challenging to navigate how to foster a love of history when the period of interest is so dark.

I would consider focusing on the military campaigns of WWII, rather than the Holocaust, due to his age. As an adult when I think of the war I think of Dresden and Hiroshima, and how CLOSE we came to the brink. But really, there are lots of age appropriate ways to approach it. It is really fascinating from a geographical perspective: Europe, the Pacific Theater, North Africa, Australia..... plus there is a lot to discover in terms of manufacturing, planes, tanks, etc.

[mommylamb]

I have been. But, it was a long time ago. And I was already well versed in what had happened and images from the Holocaust, so I don't think I found it as shocking as some people do when they go.

[lizzywednesday]

...

ETA: OP you might be interested in seeing this, maybe with your DS. I thought of it when pp said the sheer scale of inhumanity is hard to understand. This was a REALLY GOOD film. Powerful but without having to actually view the horrors.

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Paper-Clips/70012789?strkid=752573887_0_0&strackid=195651381ff7c8da_0_srl&trkid=222336

This is an EXCELLENT movie, by the way.

[american_mama]

Don't feel stupid. I was interested in your question, as I have never been to the museum but have family in the area so we could go, and would wonder about bringing my kids. I think I understand what you're saying about feeling this is part of your family's story and is something you knew at a young age, but which your child is shielded from. It's hard to know when to actively open that shield. I feel this in our family in talking about racism, news stories about race, etc. I am white, but DH is black. He knew things, talked about things, experienced things from early in his life that our kids have to be actively introduced to, and doing that is not easy. But leaving it out isn't good for them either, in understanding their own family, selves and world. I am encountering this challenge a lot in recent years.

Anyway, your son might be interested in a graphic novel of The Diary of Anne Frank, http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Frank-Authorized-Graphic-Biography/dp/0809026856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385061186&sr=8-1&keywords=graphic+novel+diary+of+anne+frank.
It has a few rough drawings (several of Anne and sister Margo with shaved heads, falling ill at the concentration camp, one of emaciated bodies), but it also has the story of her life with all its humanity, and great snippets of info that lend detail to her family, and that time and place in history. My 8 year old was riveted by the book, although not my 11 year old who I think does not like to be emotionally affected by stories. The amazon reviews of the book are also very good.

[StantonHyde]

When I was in 2nd grade I started reading lots of fiction books about the resistance movement, the ghettos , and the camps. Reading is different than seeing pix. I was quite well versed in the holocaust for a kid who grew up in rural areas with maybe 2 Jewish kids in the whole school. I went to the museum when I was 30 and it hit me so hard. Totally different experience. So I would just find more books to read.

[wellyes]

I haven't been to the Holocaust museum in 10 years. When I went, the hardest room for me was the vast space that was just filled with shoes. Thousands and thousands. of shoes. Which is just a tiny portion of all the people killed, but still, it's stunning to see. Empty baby shoes are harder to take than even the photos.

[TwinFoxes]

If I am remembering it correctly, the children's exhibit in DC does not have graphic images (no skeletal concentration camp prisoners, etc.) but they do go through the ghettoization of cities to Kristallnacht to the camps in simple displays. It is all very well done and while it's very emotional, I don't recall anything visually graphic, but, again, it's been nearly 20 years since my visit.

The longer, full, multi-floor, exhibition, however, there is NO WAY that I would take a child under the age of 12 or 13 with whom I could have a more thorough discussion. It's amazing ... and I am told by friends who have been to both that the one at Yad Vashem is more impressive for the sheer scale. It is both horrific and hopeful in some points ... those spots of hope are what kept my friend & I moving through the full exhibit when we visited about 12 or so years ago.

In addition to the history of the Nazi propaganda machine, there are death camp photos, memorabilia, and, in one of the last corridors before the eternal flame memorial & guestbook, an entire display of shoes in a plexiglass box while you're standing in a corridor filled with family portraits on walls that go all the way up to the ceiling.

It's a very moving display all the same and brings you into a quiet contemplative state (IMO) fitting for what I can only describe as a "chapel' area where the eternal flame burns.

:yeahthat: The full exhibit is incredibly disturbing. There are things you learn and see that go well beyond your average documentary history class. The magnitude of the crimes committed is astounding. I think once you visit (generic you) you'll never compare anyone to Hitler or the Nazis again.

[lizzywednesday]

I haven't been to the Holocaust museum in 10 years. When I went, the hardest room for me was the vast space that was just filled with shoes. Thousands and thousands. of shoes. Which is just a tiny portion of all the people killed, but still, it's stunning to see. Empty baby shoes are harder to take than even the photos.

Yes, that's the part that got to me the most as well - so poignant and so simple.


It was right near the end of the exhibit and also near the hallway of photographic portraits.

[MelissaTC]

Yes, that's the part that got to me the most as well - so poignant and so simple.


It was right near the end of the exhibit and also near the hallway of photographic portraits.

Me three. I also wound up with a headache after. It was so emotionally draining and I spent most of my time there crying.

[Karinyc]

:yeahthat: The full exhibit is incredibly disturbing. There are things you learn and see that go well beyond your average documentary history class. The magnitude of the crimes committed is astounding. I think once you visit (generic you) you'll never compare anyone to Hitler or the Nazis again.

Agreed. I do think everyone should tour that museum at least once. I'm very well read on the subject and still found it incredibly difficult to process. My DH and I were both 40 when we visited and it was emotionally draining. I think 6 is a bit young and a lot of the imagery presented is very graphic. The Nazis loved to document their barbaric acts. I think it's more appropriate for children age 10 and over. Like your son, I began reading about the holocaust at a very, very early age. And some adults around me felt I was too young to inquire. To gain a better perspective, I read mostly biographies & autobiographies of survivors. I work with children 6 and over and we have introduced the subject in a very frank, candid manner. I don’t go into graphic detail, but kids have tons of questions and are tremendously inquisitive. One of the movies and books that is currently popular on this subject, although completely fictional and, some feel, controversial, is “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”. For some reason that particular book (and movie- I’ve shown it to students 7 and up) resonates with young children:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_in_the_Striped_Pyjamas

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boy-Striped-Pajamas-Butterfield/dp/B001N26GFM

I agree to a degree with the criticism surrounding the book and movie, but it does allow for a broader conversation about the subject matter. I always preface that it’s a fictional account before viewing. However, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” was specifically written for children and the holocaust is viewed through the eyes of the protagonist who is a child of 8. It does a good job of appealing to its target audience.

[ShanaMama]

It definitely sounds like it's something to skip for now. I'm feeling a bit stupid for having asked.
I don't think it's a stupid question either. My grandmother escaped the holocaust & I don't even fully know her story. I just recently read parts of her manuscript which include literally running away from her home @ age 7 & hiding in fields while planes bombed overhead. But she was lucky to never be in a concentration camp. My other grandparents were all American- both of my grandfathers were in the US Army at the time. I find it very difficult to read or watch Holocaust stories, even though I feel like I should. This is actually an integral issue that Jewish educators agonize over- how to teach the younger generations, what message exactly to portray & to educate in the right vein without traumatizing. A generation ago they didn't have the luxury of asking those questions. Just like you were exposed to your grandparents' generation of survivors & surrounded by firsthand accounts, many of today's parents (almost grandparents by now) were raised by survivors & the traumas were just part of their lives. It wasn't a decision how to transmit the messages of the holocaust, it was part of their lives & psyche. Now that the survivors are almost gone many people are struggling over protecting the children from the horrors vs. exposing them to what occurred.

I recently watched an excellent (youtube?) video where they interviewed a grandmother / survivor who now takes groups of teens on tours of Auschwitz. She was a really classy European woman & the message was more upbeat than depressing. I will try to dig it up. It may have been on www.aish.com (http://www.aish.com) which is a Jewish outreach site. If I find it I'll link to it.

eta: found it http://www.aish.com/v/ho/Bobbys-Story-Living-with-Faith-after-the-Holocaust.html?mobile=yes
It's called Bobby's (grandma's) story. I haven't watched it since the summer so i dont recall if it would be suitable to watch with your DS. Perhaps you may want to preview it & show him some parts. I am pretty sure I got choked up watching it but it isn't particularly graphic, it's just very poignant.

[bisous]

The first time I went, as an adult, I wept so much that I had a migraine by the end of the tour. I *think* I would take DD1 who is almost 10, if we still lived outside of D.C. My personal take on things is that as a cultural we way, way over shield our kids from the realities of death. But, at the same time, our kids are inundated by violence--video games, tv, movies, etc. So, they understand violence and killing people but they have no emotional connection to it at all. So, I'm perfectly fine with exposing kids to the emotional side of death and actually think that is very healthy for kids, even young kids.

Mommylamb, if you do take your DS, I think I might rush right past the medical experiments section.

What an incredibly interesting perspective. I think I agree with you. I am still very reticent to expose my children to images that will haunt them, but I do agree with the idea that we need to NOT gloss over the harsh realities of death.

[petesgirl]

Could you spend time turning his interest to your own family's history? For example, do you have photos, journals, histories, etc from your own family that you could look over together? I think if I were in your shoes, those would be the parts of history I would not want forgotten - - what my own family endured and how they triumphed over it and created the foundation for the life your DS now enjoys.

[petesgirl]

What an incredibly interesting perspective. I think I agree with you. I am still very reticent to expose my children to images that will haunt them, but I do agree with the idea that we need to NOT gloss over the harsh realities of death.

I agree, that post has definitely given me something to think about.