How do you explain to a five and a seven year old that they may not live beyond thirty?
OVER DINNER
This evening in the dining hall the same answer came to me: I still have absolutely no idea. As I looked across at June, I could see in her eyes that neither did she.
“What’s wrong, Mummy?” asked Edith.
“Mum and Dad just have some things to talk about,” June replied, “That’s why we need you to go to bed the same time as RJ.”
“Can you help us out with that?” I added in quickly, “I know it seems dumb, but we wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
She nodded with a pointed roll of her eyes, and we returned to our food. The kids were already in a foul mood about not getting to partake in the ship’s weekly meat dish again. The standard happy-meat and not-happy-meat explanation locked horns with the “but I want some” justification. To be fair, the other dishes on offer were hardly appetizing, but
a) it’s been a while now since anyone could afford to be too picky, and
b) I was very happy just to be holding meals down again.
STORYTIME
After dinner, I take the kids back to the berths to wash up and start the process of getting them to sleep. Once settled down in their beds we had the usual story time. While I read to them however, my mind was elsewhere.
June and I had let it become a “thing”. By hesitating to talk with them about the GEAS results on that first day, it quickly became a task that felt totally insurmountable. Now each time I tried to work out how to approach it, I found myself staring into a void.
Before I knew it, the chapter had come to an end, and I turned off the reader.
“Daddy…” began Jack tentatively, “Are you and Mum going to break up?”
“No,” I replied with a genuine smile, “No RJ, your mum and I are not going to break up.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod, and snuggled down into the blankets. I gave both him and his sister a kiss on the forehead and said goodnight.
THE WAY FORWARD
I found June in the crowded computer room. Passengers and off-duty crew alike were staring intently at their screens, emailing family and friends, or reading the latest reports from those on land. Clearly we had a strong satellite connection for once.
“How is it going?” I asked June.
“Well, they said that concerned citizens and groups should start talking with each other. I’m having a look at what people are saying…”
The guy at the computer next to her got up and offered me the chair. I thanked him and reopened the browser. It was immediately apparent that just about everything seemed to be in reaction to the GEAS findings. Youtube was filled with declarations of the end being nigh, or it all being a hoax, or calls to action. People were talking largely at crossed purposes across blogs, forums, twitter – in a sense answering the call, but not really getting anywhere.
June let out a long sigh and turned to me. “I think we’ve been overthinking this. I reckon we simply tell the kids tomorrow that the world has had a wake up call, and we’re all going to have to work together to survive.”
“Yeah,” I replied with a nod. “Yeah, that sounds good to me.” We shared a smile, still daunted, but somewhat less distressed. I pointed to my screen, “…and I dare say this will help.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s that new networking site that Jane emailed me about,” I replied. “It’s not live to the public yet, but they’ve asked for my help once it is. I’ve got the feeling that it could really take off…”
We turned back to the computers, and began to contribute.
I agree, simple honesty is the best option. Kids are often a lot more resilient than we give ‘em credit for, and they can often contribute important insight from their different perspective. Why not help them to contribute to Superstruct themselves, through you?
After all, we wouldn’t be where we are today if we hadn’t tried to hide each other (and ourselves) from the unfolding truth.
Besides, as your Jack ably demonstrated there’s no way they won’t pick up that something big is wrong, and the fears young minds conjure up can be even more terrifying for them than the end of the world.
ps That cookie picture makes me salivate every time. I know my diet now’s vastly better for me, but….
No doubt some of your readers are genuinely hungry – I almost wonder if you could be charged with cruelty (I’ m only half-joking!)
One reason I decided early I didn’t want kids. As far as before 2000 I had the strong personal conviction that in the world that was closing in taking kids would be effectively child abuse, sooner or later. I had quite a few parents looking at me oddly when I gave them this opinion.