Usually I pull my If Questions from a coffee table book, titled (rather aptly), If. But this week I didn’t have to. This week, my If Question came from a book I recently devoured (and you should, too), called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. One of the many topics of the novel is the German occupation of the British isle Guernsey, and the means and ways the islanders survived. At one point, the characters discuss the horrible question the parents had to made, and now I’m posing it to you:
If you were faced with occupation of enemy forces during a time of war, would you send your children away, hoping they had a better chance of survival and of meeting day-to-day needs (like eating), or would you keep them with you?
I’ve tortured myself with this question ever since I read that particular passage. Ideally, I would go with my children to mainland England (supposing that we, like the characters, were on Guernsey). But if that weren’t possible, if I had to choose – what would I do?
I suppose the “right” answer, if there is such a thing, would be to send them away to relative safety. Away from the bombings. Away from starvation. Away from the uncertainty of how we would be treated. It would be temporary, hopefully, and how could I not do that which would make them safer, no matter how painful it would be? Isn’t the safety of my children more important than my comfort?
The problem is that I know I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I don’t know if it’s a mother’s instinctual need to protect her young or my own inherent selfishness, but I just would not be able to let them out of my sight. I couldn’t send them away to strangers, knowing they would be scared out of their minds, and not knowing if I would ever see them again. That would be worse than fighting together. We might not make it, but at least we would be together.
Unless, of course, they died of starvation or bombs or what have you and I was fine. What if my decision caused their tragic demise and everyone who had been sent away was fine?
See what I mean about how there are no easy answers?
Still, I think I would have to keep them. I would need to see each and every minute that they were okay. I don’t do well with the constant worrying; I would much rather know, either way. What about you – what would you do? Stay and fight? Or hide them and hope?
Tags: If, If question, parenting, war
August 28, 2009 at 7:16 am |
I would keep them with me. I think as a whole you fight harder so when your family is together (whole) we would all fight harder to survive. But you are right, no easy answer – also not a subject I care to dwell on as I generally don’t “try tragedy on for size”.
August 28, 2009 at 10:18 am |
Oh my gosh, this is heartbreaking.
August 29, 2009 at 10:29 am |
I would try to escape with my child. War is not for me.