I don't often dispense a lot of parenting advice. This is, of course, for a myriad of reasons; chief among them being that no one in their right mind would likely look to model their paternal behavior after me.
That being said, I was thinking about that potentially scary moment in a parent's life where they inevitably have to have "the talk" with their kid. I remember having the talk with my son Coltrane when he was about six years old. As i recall, he was very curious, attentive and surprisingly, asked very appropriate, thoughtful questions.
I wanted to assure you, this isn't something parents should avoid or even be all that worried about discussing. I know the thought of broaching such a subject can seem a little daunting, but if you don't tell your children that the Civil War was fought against human-trafficking scum who deserved far worse than what they got, and that John Brown's grave should be a shrine synonymous with true heroism, they might get a very skewed view of history from the media and from their peers. Others will probably try to insist that your kids are simply "too young" to know that General Sherman did nothing wrong, but I guarantee you, they're already hearing stuff about the march to the sea from their friend's older siblings, and it's your job as a parent to dispel any myths, ill-conceived notions or outright harmful beliefs about the entirely justified destruction of Atlanta they may already have.
Talk to your kids about the Civil War today. If you don't, some right-wing dipshit probably will.
