Community Corner

Mother and Son Remember 9/11

Every parent wanted to be there for his or her child that day – but how?

It's a question that will be asked for many years to come: Where were you on 9/11? Royal Oak Patch Editor Judy Davids shares her memories:

I remember picking up my sons at Longfellow Elementary in Royal Oak on Sept. 11, 2001, at the end of the school day, to find nearly every student’s parents waiting on school property. Everybody wanted to be there for his or her child that day.

I recall the beautiful clear blue sky and how the playground, which was normally bustling with screaming kids, was void of any children. They were all inside the building under lockdown.

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The world was silent. No kids running around. No planes in the sky. Even the ice cream man stayed home. There were no bells. No whistles. The silence was deafening.

Parents talked softly amongst each other, wondering what our children knew. Did the teachers tell them, or would we have to – and how? How would we ever explain this tragedy?

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Looking back, I’m not sure how my sons, who were 8 and 6 years old at the time, ever learned the terrible news, but they did.

A few months later my then first-grader was asked to draw his holiday wish. Willie drew Ground Zero in New York City and underneath the crayon drawing it read: “I wish that the planes didn’t crash into the Twin Towers.”

Editor's note: As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon approaches, we'd like to share your stories and memories. Contact Royal Oak Patch Editor Judy Davids at judy.davids@patch.com or 248-231-4667.


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