Every time we drive past the Australian War Memorial, the kids plead, ‘Can we go there?’ Our six-year-old is fascinated by the hulking decommissioned weaponry. ‘Was that a tank? Woah, is that part of a ship?’ In the rear-view mirror I see three sandy-haired boys in their booster seats craning their necks as we continue to Mt Ainslie.

We resist taking them. They seem too enthusiastic. In their play, they display fervour for weapons, destruction and killing bad guys. They style themselves as Jedi, ninjas and Power Rangers. I don’t want them to enter the memorial with the wrong impression about its purpose. These aren’t times to be casual about violence.

Continue reading at Meanjin