Living Our Values - Visiting the 9/11 Memorial with Gia

On a recent trip to the City we visited the 9/11 Memorial that was opened to the public on opened in May 2014. Bringing Gia to the 9/11 site is probably going to serve as her first memory of getting to know about the tragedy that struck America 13 years ago. Although at this age she would not understand the meaning or context of what happened on the tragic day but ultimately though, she will learn about the horrific events of September 11. Familiarizing her to the monuments of 9/11 significance will prepare her gently to absorb the events of September 11, 2001 in times to come.

The 9/11 Memorial opened on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. It consists of two pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers. Thirty-foot waterfalls—the largest in North America—cascade into the pools, each then descending into a center void. The names of the victims are inscribed in bronze parapets around the pools. The Memorial was designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker. The design was selected through an international competition that received 5,201 submissions from 63 countries.

The nearly 3,000 names of the men, women, and children killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 are inscribed in bronze on parapets surrounding the twin Memorial pools.

There’s a lot of space near the pools with benches for sitting and trees for shade in the grove. We sat on the benches for a while and experienced somberness at that moment. Because of the tall walls around the fountains, Gia was not able to easily see into them and so her dad lifted her up to show her the view of the pools. Gia gently ran her fingers on the names over one of the names inscribed on the walls and with a curious look turned towards her dad.

Soon we as parents of a growing toddler will be faced with the challenge of exploring the hard details of this day with our children. We need to begin these conversations early on and discover answers together. Sept. 11 has become a date of reflection, remembrance and respect.