I am interested in your opinions as to whether the Holocaust Museum is too intense for an 11 year old? My daughter has read the diary of Anne Frank, has been to the Frank House in Amsterdam, and really wants to go to the Museum. I am concerned that it may just be too difficult to deal with (as it should be!) Thanks for your imput.

I visited the Holocaust museum in DC 2 years ago. The content of the museum, of course, can be very disturbing, even to the average adult. There are a few displays graphically depicting the methods and means of torture utilized by the Nazis. I think that the overall visual imagery at the museum is on par with, or maybe a little more than the Spielberg movie "Schindler's List." I think if your daughter has the emotional maturity to handle that, then she should be able to handle the museum.

I think that the museum is set up in a way that makes the experience of the visitor intense but it has a very hopeful side to it. If you are concerned that your daughter might be too disturbed by the experience alone, I suggest having her bring a friend along to share it with--that certainly was helpful for me, because I got to talk about what I saw with someone other than grandparents who were survivors, but with someone my own age.

i am over 40 and am not sure if i have the emotional maturity to handle it. if you do go, i would suggest that you schedule it as one of the last activities of your trip so that it does not impact emptionally on the rest of the trip. that might be more jarring than the museum itself. i suspect that the museum is a place where it takes a few days of contemplation, especially if your daughter has read anne frank. i have not brought my daughter yet and i am not sure i will until she is in high school.

I am impressed re your concern about your daughter & the Holocaust Museum. I have been to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and there is no comparison between the graphic content of the two. The Holocaust Museum has photos etc that are disturbing to all ages. Depending on your daughter's maturity level, she may do fine. Of course, as you walk through you have the choice of skipping any of the areas that are frightening for her. I'm Jewish, so the Holocaust-photos etc have always been a part of my life and visiting the museum was important for my children. Some of the exhibits may not be meaningful to your child ie the wall of shoes, - I believe you need to stay with your daughter, talk with her, explain what she's seeing and skip areas to upsetting ( if any), and of course, do some processing after the visit, and even a week or so later. Enjoy your visit to DC, it's a great place for kids and adults-we go often. Regards, SHaron

I am impressed re your concern about your daughter & the Holocaust Museum. I have been to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and there is no comparison between the graphic content of the two. The Holocaust Museum has photos etc that are disturbing to all ages. Depending on your daughter's maturity level, she may do fine. Of course, as you walk through you have the choice of skipping any of the areas that are frightening for her. I'm Jewish, so the Holocaust-photos etc have always been a part of my life and visiting the museum was important for my children. Some of the exhibits may not be meaningful to your child ie the wall of shoes, - I believe you need to stay with your daughter, talk with her, explain what she's seeing and skip areas to upsetting ( if any), and of course, do some processing after the visit, and even a week or so later. Enjoy your visit to DC, it's a great place for kids and adults-we go often. Regards, SHaron

Yes, the museum is intense, but it is set up to walk through and allows you to control what you see and for how long. It remembers something which everyone should know about. The part at the end, the white wall with the stories of those who risked their own lives to help Jews and other victims of Hitler, was very inspiring, and then you could sit in the sort of garden space and think about why some regular people can be so brave and why some people were so evil, callous and uncaring. This is a message any child should have.

My husband decided he would not be emotionally strong enough,and did not come with us, but I feel my daughters, ages 11 and 14 at the time, and I got a lot out if it. Afterwards we went to the First Ladies dress collection to sort of change our mood.

Thank you all for your comments and insights. We did indeed go to the museum with our 11 yr. old. While it was very intense, it was a very important experience for all of us. We did avoid a few exhibits, such as the one dealing with medical experimentation, deciding that might be too much for her. We had been to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, but the Holocaust Museum is very different, and much more of an education. Our 11 year old did fine, and we found that 3 hours was about all any of us could take. Despite that, there was much we didn't see, and will need to return for in a few years.