Listen to My 9-Year-Old Son Explain What He Saw on TV

When I brought Ryan home from school, we had the news on and he sat down to watch. We sat and watched together as protesters stormed the Capitol building. He asked a few questions and we spoke with him about what he thought was happening. I think as Americans we were all shocked at what we watched unfold on TV. I wasn't sure how to handle it with our nine-year-old so we all watched together. We answered all questions he had and after an hour or so, he asked if he could go in his room and play his Xbox. Off he went.

After a while, we sat down to talk about what he had seen and what he thought had happened today in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol building. I was surprised that he knew a bit more about the voting process and what was supposed to transpire in the Capitol with the Electoral College vote.

Listen to how Ryan answers some simple questions about what he saw on TV in his own words through the mind of a nine-year-old. He was much more in tune with what was going on than I thought.

As a mom, I don't want to shelter my son from what is happening in the world. He, ultimately, will be the future and perhaps the change for the better. I am fortunate that we were able to watch this together and also able to just listen to how he's feeling and what he thinks of what is happening. Sometimes, I feel, it's important to be on the level of a nine-year-old to clear the clutter, the other opinions, and simplify what is actually happening. That's what Ryan did for me tonight.