A Family Trip to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial in New York Can Present Opportunities for Adults to Talk to Young Kids About What Happened That Day, Says Children's Author Tom Rogers

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Aug 20, 2014) - As the summer comes to a close, many families may plan on taking a late-summer getaway to New York City -- for some a first time visit, and for others an annual ritual.

With the National September 11 Memorial & Museum now open, parents and guardians should consider using a visit to the Museum as an opportunity to teach young kids -- who may not have been born in 2001 -- about what happened that day, says Tom Rogers, children's author and author of Eleven, the story of a boy who turns eleven on September 11^th, 2001.

"A family trip to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum can raise important questions in kids' heads," said Rogers. "The Museum houses collections of artifacts and stories of people directly affected, and the 9/11 Memorial's website has even more information to help adults explain 9/11 to the kids in their lives."

Rogers has assembled some guidelines to help adults who would like to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and explain the events of 9/11 to the kids in their lives. He advises adults to...

• Be aware of emotions -- yours and theirs. Talking about 9/11 can bring up long-buried feelings -- adults should remember that there's no need to be cold, and that it's okay to be sad. "Kids might react differently than you did, and that's okay," added Rogers. "It's hard to imagine, but 9/11 is just history to today's kids -- not a personal memory like it is for us."
  
  
• Remember the heroes. "You can't visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum without being reminded of the bravery and selflessness that we witnessed on that day," said Rogers. "Tell the kids you're teaching about how the worst of times brought out the best in so many of us."
  
  
• Just start talking. 9/11 is a tough subject, but if you don't teach them, they'll hear about it from someone else -- and there are a lot of strange theories and misinformed individuals out there. "Children should learn about that difficult time in a place where they feel safe -- with you," Rogers said. "Take your time, keep it simple, and remember to listen to the questions they're asking."
  
  

"Alex, the main character of Eleven, wants to be tough -- but he doesn't fully understand what's going on when he learns what happened on September 11^th," noted Rogers. "It will be even harder for kids who weren't born yet -- and a visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum can help today's kids begin to understand that day's importance."

For more information about Eleven, please visit the website here. To schedule a conversation with Tom Rogers, please contact Eric Mosher of Sommerfield Communications at (212) 255-8386 or Eric@Sommerfield.com.

About Tom Rogers
Tom Rogers is a novelist and the screenwriter of numerous animated films, including The Lion King 1 1/2, Kronk's New Groove, and Disney's Secret of the Wings and the upcoming Legend of the NeverBeast. Eleven, the journey of a boy who turns eleven on September 11^th, 2001, is his first novel for young adults.