History lesson

Yesterday morning, Thomas asked, 'Who started the wars?'--as if there was one culprit responsible for all of them. 'Which war?' I asked. He was able to narrow it down: World War I and World War II, he wanted to know. As to the first, I said, it's fairly complicated. (I did remember something about Archduke Ferdinand being shot, but any connection I might be able to make between that event and WWI would be a bit dodgy, to say the least.) Let's ask Daddy when he gets home. (I enjoy these history lessons as much as Thomas; Lewis always tells a very good story. Before Thomas, I asked the questions, and I like the stories twice as much now that he's old enough to appreciate them as well.)

So, after supper, I reminded Thomas of his question. 'For that', came the response, 'we need a map'. Lewis proceeded to tell the story, weaving in the bits I knew and filling in all the details linking Gabriel Prinzip to the war that engulfed Europe. Truth be told, I was more interested in the boys' response than the story: I know I can get a refresher course in WWI history on any given evening. (Fortunately Lewis is incredibly patient, and doesn't mind telling the same story over and over...which is good, because otherwise he would refuse ever again to tell me about the rise of Islam.)

About WWII, I was able to help. Thomas, in fact, knows the answer to that one, and will tell you: Hitler. Yesterday morning, though, he continued. 'So,' he mused, 'it was the Germans'. 'Well, I said, not all the Germans supported the war. There was this famous German named Dietrich Bonhoeffer...' I began. Thomas wandered out of the room carrying his lego-built gun, completely uninterested: obviously this part of the story wasn't going to involve any shooting.