So I just had *that* conversation with the seven year old for the first time. We’ve touched on it before, but this morning was significant. He’s been devouring the many children’s books available in the UK, and at his school, that use WW1 and WW2 as their backdrop...

...where the plucky hero fights the nasty Germans. Being a half German, half American British-born child, he... started to have questions. So we talked about Hitler, and the sheer scale of evil he facilitated, and..

..how all this was based on saying some humans are less than human and don’t deserve the same rights, and too many people buying into that. We had discussed this before, in the context of slavery, especially over the last few months.

It is always impressive to see the strength of his reaction to the news that some people believe they are superior to others. But understanding that this is what some people believe is essential for him growing up. Not just because of his (barely detectable tbh) German heritage.

Growing up in Germany in the 70s/80s, we were taught in some detail about WW2 and the Holocaust. I do remember it being hard to process, as a child, that the people from the country I was born in could have done such things. My grandparents’ generation.

Being unsure about what I was supposed to do with that knowledge - because, obviously, nothing like it could ever be allowed to happen again! - I don’t remember being given really good tools for processing all this at the time. I’m still processing it.

I guess the main outcome is that I’ve been trying to learn throughout my life, and find ways to make sure we can prevent such things from happening. Because there’s always a risk. Anyway, that’s what I’m trying to pass on to my kids.

The conversation this morning ended by looking at this book together - we picked up a copy at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool last year. https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/international-slavery-museum/virtual-tour