Abby and I have some good chatting time in the morning after Ben takes off for work and before Audrey wakes up for the day. We usually have an hour, sometimes longer. Inevitably, that means a long, leisurely breakfast, maybe a game or two of Memory, perhaps a book or Highlights magazine perusal, and hurriedly getting teeth brushed and clothes put on before my hands get more tied up with a smaller bundle. Abby gets us for about 2 solid hours to herself before Audrey wakes up in the morning, and that's pretty vital for her happiness. She must have good one-on-one time everyday. (She's also like a frisky puppy and must have good running playtime everyday.)
Every once in a while, Abby brings up some God talk. My favorite is when she is trying to be tricky.
Abby: Hey Mommy, who made the bathtub?
Me: I don't know. Someone in a factory, I guess.
Abby: Nooo....God did.
I know that lots of these random little snippets come from Sunday School and pre-school alike. But since I'm never part of those discussions, they come out of the blue. Toddlers are fantastic at transparency. There's no filter, so you get to hear about everything they're thinking. In that respect, talking with Abby is a lot of fun, and I take that for granted.
A couple of days ago at breakfast, Abby started in on--Heaven. She even pulled out references to angels in robes (that didn't come from us!). She matter of factly stated that "I can't wait to go to Heaven and see God." And it made me think a little...why not? Adults are probably likely to swoop in and think about how this poor young child has her whole life ahead of her and what a tragedy it would be, but why not? What an interesting perspective for a kid to have, I think. As a parent, I don't think that it's my job to stifle the curiosity of my kid by imposing my own sheer horror at the thought of Abby going to Heaven before me. Heaven is interesting, different, and new for her. It's something to be interested in and explore. Not only did she say that she can't wait to meet God, but she can't wait to see Audrey & Daddy & Mommy in Heaven, too.
Death hasn't been an issue that we have had to overtly face with Abby yet. It's a sweet gift to explore the topic with her before pain and sorrow are introduced. And I, for one, am glad that she wants all of us to come along to her Heaven-playground to join in the fun, someday.
1 comment:
What an interesting post - It's sometimes a good thing to look at these grand topics through the eyes of a toddler. And who is to say that they don't have greater insight than we do?
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