It’s probably a tad too early in my parenting career to feel like a complete failure…but regardless, here we are.
The other morning, as we drove to gymnastics, Nora and Susannah spotted a cemetery which we’d passed nearly a billion times. However, on this particular introspective a.m., Zu pointed out her window and piped up- “What’s that, Mom?”
“That’s a cemetery, sweets.”
“What’s a cemetery?”
(Hmm. How to explain, how to explain.) Disclaimer- my kids have (sadly) had way too much experience with angels going to heaven and praying for ailing family members. And we occasionally go to church. Not as much as we ought, but it feels hard on days when no one’s napped or slept or used the potty or- oh, I digress. ANYHOW. The girls know that spirits become angels after we die…insomuch as a 2 or a 4 year old can possibly grasp that concept.
But we’d never really talked about the body before.
And it looked like we were about to talk about the body.
“A cemetery is where some people put bodies after spirits become angels.” (Oh my God, NO. Now they’re gonna ask about the ground.)
Nora piped up. “In the ground?”
“Ah, yes. But we don’t need our bodies after…after…”
“After we die?”
“Yeah. Because the you that’s you, that goes to heaven and you won’t need your physical body there.” (Nice, Keely. That’s not confusing at all.)
Susannah smiled happily. “I don’t need a body.”
Nora, however, was horrified. “They put you in the ground so you’ll die to heaven?!”
“NO, NO, THAT’S NOT WHAT A GRAVEYARD IS-”
“What’s a graveyard?!”
(Bring it back, bring it back, you can do this.) “It’s another word for cemetery, which is really a nice, peaceful place where people can go and sit and pray and think nice thoughts about their loved ones now in heaven-”
“I WON’T EVEN HAVE MY BELLY OR MY FACE IN HEAVEN.”
“Yes, you will darling. You will have everything you need in heaven. And you’ll be you.”
“Will you be there, Mom?”
“YEP! SURE WILL!” (Unless the topic of this little talk comes up at the pearly gates.)
“Am I gonna die, Mom? And Suzy and Jasper and Bean and Ender and Dad- and you?” (Glad I made it in there.)
“Everyone eventually goes to heaven after they’ve done all the good stuff they’re supposed to do on Earth. Like in a hundred years.”
“A hundred years is long.”
“YEP.”
We then turned into the parking lot.
Susannah and Nora: GYMNASTICS!!
(Thank you, Jesus.)
Let’s pretend we never talked, yeah?
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