How Nannies Should Talk to Kids About Osama bin Laden's Death

Children Find it a Moral Dilemma
Are your charges upset that Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden rather than captured him alive?

While thousands of adult American's who remember 9/11 are jumping for joy over the death of Osama bin Laden, many children find it a moral dilemma. A friend of mine who is a high school teacher says her students don't understand why Navy Seals had to kill the man. Even a young adult family member of mine has said, "Does killing Osama bin Laden bring back the 3,000 American's he killed?"

First, I will address how to talk to kids about the event. Then, I will share links that explain that the Navy Seals were ordered to capture Osama bin Laden alive but to kill him if they were in danger or if he were to resist arrest.

Under five-years old:
Last night on New York CBS local news they explained that children under five-years old should not view television about the event as the images may be disturbing.

School-aged children:
School-aged children may find it a moral dilemma. How can killing another person be considered moral? It is okay and normal for children to ask questions about this difficult moral issue. For example, many children are asking: "If Osama bin Laden was evil for killing, why is it okay for us to kill him?"

Teens:
New York CBS local news said teens must be urged to not act impulsively due to anger about the event.

To help explain the situation to children over five-years old I have found some links that state that the Navy Seals took care to avoid civilian casualties and were willing to capture Osama bin Laden alive if possible.

Huffington Post:
President Barack Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said Monday that U.S. military operatives were prepared to capture Osama bin Laden alive but were "absolutely" ready to kill him when he fought back.

"If we had the opportunity to take him alive, we would have done that," Brennan said during an uncharacteristically candid exchange with reporters at a White House briefing.

Intelligence officials and Obama "extensively" discussed the prospect of capturing bin Laden alive during the U.S. military raid on his compound Sunday, Brennan said, but were "certainly were planning for the possibility … that he would likely resist arrest." In the end, the al Qaeda leader fought back and was "therefore killed in a fire fight," Brennan said.

The bottom line, said Brennan, was that "we were not going to put our people at risk."

Brennan painted a dark scene of bin Laden's final moments. He said the al Qaeda leader used one of his wives as a human shield while he was being shot at. "From a visual perspective, here is bin Laden ... living in this million dollar-plus compound ... hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield. I think it really just speaks to just how false his narrative has been over the years," Brennan said. "Looking at what bin Laden was doing hiding there while he’s putting other people out there to carry out attacks again just speaks to, I think, the nature of the individual he was."

Newsday:
"Thanks to sophisticated satellite monitoring, U.S. forces knew they'd likely find bin Laden's family on the second and third floors of one of the buildings on the property, officials said. The SEALs secured the rest of the property first, then proceeded to the the room where bin Laden was hiding."

CNN:
"A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties," he said. "After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."

Wikipedia:
"In his broadcast announcement President Obama said that U.S. forces 'took care to avoid civilian casualties.'"

Are your charges upset that Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden rather than capture him alive?