The War

Duncan: Do you know what country we are in Callum?

Callum (age 3): Yes.

Duncan: What country are we in?

Callum: I don't know.

Duncan: Do you know what a country is Callum?

Callum: Yes.

Duncan: What is a country?

Callum: I don't know.

Duncan: A country is a big area where everyone speaks the same language and there is one group of people who make sure that everything operates properly for everyone else. There are many different countries in the world. Do you understand what I said Callum?

Callum: Yes.

Duncan: What is a country?

Callum: It's a place where everyone speaks the same language.

Duncan: England is a country. That's the country that we're in now. What country are we in Callum?

Callum: England.

Duncan: America is country. It's the country where you were born.

Callum: Americra. Daddy, do bombs drop on England?

Duncan: Do bombs drop on England?

Callum: Yes. Do bombs drop on England, in the night time?

Duncan: They did in the war. The Germans flew over London in planes and dropped bombs on England.

Callum: What are Germans?

Duncan: They're people from another country.

Callum: Are they villains?

Duncan: A lot of people in England thought that they were when they were dropping bombs on England.

Callum: Why did they drop bombs on England?

Duncan: Because England and Germany were having a war.

Callum: What's war?

Duncan: It's where two different countries don't agree about something and they can't agree so they end up fighting.

Callum: Do people die in wars.

Duncan: Yes they do.

Callum: Do kids die in wars?

Duncan: They have done, but you don't have to worry because we're not in a war. And England and Germany are friendly with each other now.

Callum: Why did kids die in the war?

Duncan: I don't know why. I suppose it was just supposed to happen, because it did. How are you feeling Callum?

Callum: Happy ... but bits are sad because of the kids that died in the war.

Callum: Dunkin?

Duncan: Yes Callum.

Callum: Shall we play with the hoover?

Duncan: Okay. Look at the bits of polystyrene whizzing around inside.

Callum: Ha! They're all jumbling pumbling!

Duncan: Jumbling pumbling mumbling shaking spinning whirring.

Callum: Pumblin chumblin tikanin flapliyboo gobledeygook.

Duncan: Can you see the ones going around really fast, so fast that you can hardly even see them? And there are the ones by the edge, some of them are vibrating around a bit and others are not even moving at all.

Callum: Yes. They're very funny!

Duncan: Imagine what it would be like to be one of those polystyrene balls.

Callum: I'd be whizzing around really fast going shoooooooom!

Duncan: You would, wouldn't you? I bet it would be a lot of fun.

Callum: But I would have a face and arms and legs.

Duncan: You would be like a tiny little person in there with arms and legs and a face.

Callum: Yes. I wouldn't be just a polystyrene ball.

Duncan: It's very important for you to be Callum right now isn't it?

Callum: Yes.