Originally Posted by Play Care:
I agree. I'm kind of surprised that this is even an issue.
I almost think that in the OP's case, the fact no one seems to want to simply tell him is creating an issue where there isn't one... 
I never talked with my own kids about 9/11 - being a New Yorker, having had many friends and family who live and work in Manhattan, etc. it's not something I like discussing. But then they have both come home from school talking about it...and I realized that I can't keep them in a bubble. Much better to address and reassure than hem and haw and stall
I think it's super-hard when it hits
us hard emotionally. I struggled with including "We Shall Overcome" in our songs, because I cried every time I sang it. Last year was the first time I could do it.
I
can understand people not wanting to "teach" this though - I probably wouldn't do it if my children hadn't needed to do it, in relation to other people's deaths. It felt like a necessity, and my parents would have probably been upset if I hadn't let the children play out their concerns.