'Time' Offers a Parents Guide for Discussing the 'Difficult Topic' of the President's Attack on Soleimani. Or: How to Terrify Young Children With Trump's Insanity

If you’ve got kids, you know there are certain things you need to talk to them about — like bullying, not talking to strangers, and the President of the United States assassinating a Middle Eastern leader.

So says Time magazine.

The publication believes your tykes are hearing all about the troubling story of a guy being killed nearly 7,000 miles away, and they’re “likely to have lots of questions.”

You know how, as a little kid, you always tried to figure out world news, and how you were veritably sitting on Uncle Walter Cronchite’s knee? Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

So Time’s created a guide to instruct you on how to school your kids on this “difficult topic.”

First of all, Time says to “trust your instincts.”

How about the instinct to not bother young skulls of innocent mush with talk of planetary politics and death?

Apparently, that’d be:

via GIPHY

As per the magazine, you need to let the children know who Soleimani was: “a top military leader in Iran, a country in the Middle East.”

The rugrats should also know that “President Donald Trump has called Soleimani a terrorist.”

And also, “Trump says Soleimani ordered attacks on American military and diplomats and was planning attacks against Americans in the Middle East.”

About the December 31st attack on the U.S. embassy, you need to let the kids know more of stuff “Trump says”:

Trump says Soleimani ordered these attacks.

Man — this guy Trump says all sorts of stuff.

Is he right about any of it?

Let’s delve further…

In response to the attack, “U.S. military leaders gave Trump several choices for how to respond to Iran’s actions. Killing Soleimani was considered the most extreme.”

But guess what that crazy Trump went and did…

The guy “insists” killing Soleimani “was in America’s best interests.”

However:

Some top U.S. military and government officials have expressed surprise and concern about Trump’s decision.

And now, because of loose cannon Trump, there’s grieving across an entire nation:

Iran has called for three days of national mourning. Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Iran’s capital, Tehran, to protest Soleimani’s killing. Funeral services were held in Iran on Sunday and Monday. Iranian leaders say they will take action against the U.S. At this time, however, it is unclear how or when they will do so. Still, some kind of action is expected.

Action is expected, by the way, because:

Majid Takht Ravanchi is Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations. “We cannot just remain silent,” he told CNN.

So what are we gonna do if Iran attacks us?

This:

[T]rump wrote on Twitter that the U.S. had targeted 52 Iranian sites, including places that are important to Iranian culture.

In plain durn defiance of the law:

But according to international law, strikes on cultural sites are illegal.

Time does admit the “U.S. and Iran have a difficult relationship.”

It even points out something bad that Iran did — 41 years ago:

In 1979, Iran took 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage.

But don’t misunderstand; everyone was released:

They were released after 444 days.

Now it seems Trump’s stirred up everything and hurt a lot of people:

In 2018, tensions increased again after President Trump said the U.S. would no longer participate in a 2015 deal with Iran. This international agreement set strict limits for 15 years on Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. In return, the U.S. and countries in the European Union agreed to end trade restrictions. When Trump pulled out of the agreement, the U.S. put trade restrictions back in place. This has hurt Iran’s economy.

So now, thanks to the President, will we have to go to war?

Maybe. And because of that, moms and dads or sons and daughters may be forced by Donald Trump to suit up and perhaps get killed in battle:

Many people worry that the latest tensions between the U.S. and Iran could lead the U.S. to war in the Middle East. … Others wonder if Americans will be required to join the U.S. military if the U.S. and Iran do go to war.

Thankfully, so far, Trump hasn’t said he’d institute the draft:

Neither the President nor Congress have indicated they would bring back the draft.

Keep your fingers crossed.

And pray the UN will save us from Trump:

The United Nations (U.N.) says steps should be taken to avoid war and decrease tensions between the U.S. and Iran. António Guterres leads the U.N. “This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint,” he said in a Jan. 3 statement.

Now that you’ve burdened Junior with the weight of world warfare and deadly Donald’s refusal to take advice life-saving advice — if your kid’s worried, now you should…

Distract them.

That’s right — tell them all of the above things, and then, when they’re terrified, pretend you didn’t tell them all of the above things.

Perfecto:

Search for hidden questions or fears. Ask what else is on their mind about what happened, what their friends say about it, and what their biggest worry is right now. … Keep routines going—homework, bedtime rituals, and so on—because they’re reassuring and distracting. “It is a good time to have them do kind things for others,” says [psychologist Paul Coleman].

Ease Minds. After you’re sure they’ve talked through their fears, you can assure them of their safety.