What will I tell him?

One day, Xavier will be a man. Even sooner, he will be a teenager or preteen struggling to come to grips with who he is in the world. As his mother, I feel it's my responsibility to teach him about the world before it schools him. So, on days like today, I wonder what I will teach him and when. With the realization that he's part of a group of children who have never known a country at peace, what will I say to him about the war that he's grown up in and that he was born into?

I've looked at pictures, from all over the world, and they're celebrating this death. But, what is it that they're happy for? Is what has happened to our country, several countries around the world, and countless human beings over the last 10 years worth it? Is this really a victory? How can I tell him about the war when I never understood why it started? How can I tell him that today because some faraway "bad guy" was killed, he's safer? Most importantly, how can I tell him that it's over?

I hope one day my son forgives my lack of patriotism and doubtfulness, but the scars of war run deep and its legacy is long lasting. We have a lot of work to do to rebuild and I'm not sure it will ever be finished.