Some how life continues. The army sets up tank squadrons just beyond our moshav fence and there are army special units set up inside each moshav and kibbutz near the border with Gaza in case of infiltration by some tunnel during the war. Unfortunately this is the newest tactic used by Hamas. These tunnels can open up anywhere in or outside of a community. It could open up right inside my yard where my kids are allowed a little play time in between missiles. We don't know until they open it and crawl out like cockroaches with guns and other forms of destruction. So now we are feel unprotected even in our own homes. This has spurred many new additions to our life.
First of all the lock down of our house each night. This was never a thought before but now it has become the most important of all the get-ready-for-bed chores.
The next is that we all sleep in the same room on mattresses. It started with missiles coming in the middle of the night. Now we can actually get some sleep (despite the booms) rather than having to grab sleeping children to make it to the "safe room" in time (less than 15 seconds) a few times every night. Now we stay there together so that we can protect the family easier if we're all in one place.
I have always been against guns in the house. Too many accidents involving children and accidental triggers. But we feel so powerless with all that's happening that we now sleep with a gun and a baseball bat under the mattress.
Children being like antennas capable of tuning in quick, want to help. They have gotten all their toys and have made them into sudo-weapons. Butter knives, Purim swords and guns, Swiss Army knives, flashlights.....Anything that they think will help to protect their family from a madman. No matter how I try to explain that they could never defeat a terrorist, that it's best to hide and keep quiet and take care of their brothers, they also are feeling helpless. They have this innate need to stand up and give their all to protect . Actually when I think of it, most books and movies for children have this common theme: Stand together no matter what. Family and friends come first. Believe in "The Force", god, etc, it will protect you. Fight the bad guys. The good guys always win. Even though it's non-fiction, it definitely sends a message and shapes a conscience . We also raise our children to hold these beliefs. So to tell them differently sounds hypocritical of everything they've seen and heard up to now.
So our room has become an armory and part of our days are spent gathering "weapons" or playing games dealing with bad guys vs good guys. I think it helps them to act out these games . It helps to regain some power they might feel is lost. After all, their childhood playground has become a war zone