Max: “I don’t like cities.”

Aki: “Why?”

Max: “You know. Nuclear bombs.”

(Several months ago, Max asked if we would die if Russia or China dropped nuclear bombs on America. I told him that we are safe from nuclear bombs because we don’t live anywhere near a city. Cities are where America’s enemies would bomb, not rural areas. God, this reminds me of the same fear I had when growing up during the Cold War and watching movies like The Day After. I showed parts of that movie to Max a few months ago, and maybe I shouldn’t have. He remembers the people “turning to skeletons” during the blasts; supposedly an x-ray effect they’re not really turning into skeletons. I don’t want him suffering this same pointless fear I did as a child, but I think it’s too late. #parentingmistakes)