Reflections regarding Thursday September 5, 2024 until Saturday September 7, 2024 in Prague, Czechia
It was our second week in Prague and no one had been sleeping well. In addition to the heat wave and lack of air flow in the apartment, Chaim was sick with some virus that had him coughing his lungs out every few minutes at night. I love him dearly, but it was no walk in the park waking up to my dear husband coughing in my face multiple times a night. The boys also struggled to sleep. Some had bad dreams while others were feeling under the weather. In the midst of it all, I was struggling to balance the need to be on with my children all day and most of the evening, lesson planning to some meaningful degree for my children, a compulsion to write, and a deep desire for time when I could decompress and veg out. In an attempt to do it all, I ended up going to sleep well after 2:00AM every night and falling into terrible habits of passive scrolling on social media.
Well, this Friday morning everyone was off kilter. The night before I spent an hour putting together a differentiated lesson plan and schedule for the boys that would guide them through learning about the parashat hashavua/weekly Torah portion and Math. It was incredibly difficult for everyone to focus. Let’s just say, I did not manage my frustration very well, or at all. The boys called me out on it. I apologized, explained why I was having a hard day, and did my best to recompose myself.
Once Amichai and Eitan recognized that I was struggling, they saved the day the way kids often do when they recognize their adult is exhausted. After lunch they rallied the twins and motivated everyone to visit the National Museum of Prague, which had been our listed excursion for the day. They were like two camp counselors leading us out the door. I mused to no one, “When did my little boys begin turning into young gentlemen?”
The museum had an interesting mix of geology, prehistoric history, and Czech history. We noticed that museum exhibits in Prague were far less conservative about what to include in a museum that children might visit. For example, in a room dedicated to prehistoric animals there was a life-sized replica of a dinosaur being torn apart by sharks. The model was gory with blood all over and torn flesh all over its body. To emphasize the grotesque nature of it all, someone thought it necessary to hang the dinosaur upside down with its tongue falling out and lolling to one side. I don’t recall ever seeing such a replica like that in a natural museum. The boys found it both intriguing and disturbing.
Another example was in the Czech history exhibit. A movie of one of the major battles played on a loop across a large wall that was maybe 5ft high by 30 ft long. It was hard to miss. Shai and Matanel were enthralled by the unfolding battle scene. They watched as a general led his army across the field, moving steadily forward, as the front line continued to fall from the spray of bullets. All shown in gruesome detail. The general continues to march bravely and unflinchingly forward even as his soldiers are dying all around him. Then, he is standing in the middle of the battlefield alone. A shot rings out and a bullet hits him directly between the eyes. He falls to the ground slowly as blood trickles out. I wasn’t sure how to manage the situation. Up until that point, I had made an effort to keep the twins from seeing anything gory like that, at least I tried. When I told them to turn away or close their eyes, they gave me the most grown up looks and said, “Mommy, we can handle this. It’s not that bad.” I wanted to cry. Had my babies really grown up that fast? Probably yes, and no. After a moment of contemplating what just transpired, I let it be.
As we left the museum, I couldn't help but wonder if protecting children from such experiences or scenes was helpful or hurtful. In America we tend to avoid showing our children the realities of the world, and avoid difficult conversations rather than dealing with the issue head on, until we think they are ready. Then our children tell us they’re ready long before we accept that. The rest of the world does not seem to avoid showing difficult scenes or engaging in difficult conversations as much as we do. They also seem to accept the harsh realities of our world and history as part of living with nothing to be scared or worried about. I haven’t interviewed any non-American children to find out if my assessment is correct or on track, at least this seems to be my observation so far.
With everyone feeling sleep-deprived or under the weather we took Shabbat easy. Chaim and I slept in while the four boys played for hours in the morning. Thank goodness they can play so nicely together. Eventually, we got dressed and walked to Chabad for lunch. We had a lovely lunch with new friends Sid and Marsha from Toronto. After lunch, we tried convincing the boys to walk to Charles Bridge, but they just weren’t interested. Instead, we walked to Letna Park where we hoped we would be able to watch the skateboarders. Unfortunately, the skateboarders who showed up weren’t as good as the ones who we saw the previous Shabbat, so we went home. We spent the rest of the afternoon snacking on fruit and pistachios while playing Finger Twister, SET, and Bananagrams. We had a great time hanging out together, even if we were all still feeling drained or unwell. Predictably, we all went to sleep late even though we tried turning in early.