Unexpected

Tonight I had an unexpected conversation.

I had put the girls to bed and was kissing hubby goodnight. He has to go to bed really early. And rather than going to bed like a smart person would do, I stay up and work on projects.

Tonight when I went into the family room, I found A with a blanket and pillow on the recliner. She didn't want to sleep in her room, but I told her that the recliner wasn't an option.

I tucked her into bed and she told me that she had a bad dream. She had gone to the beach and died. This brought to mind all of the times that hubby and I will be into a show and not realize that a child has wondered into the room. We've been changing our ways and if we watch a violent show like Burn Notice or Life or whatever, we try to watch in another room or on a computer where they can't see. But anyway... I digress.

She told me that she died on the beach and that Jesus had come and told her that she shouldn't go to the beach without Mommy and Daddy.

So we said a prayer and asked that she would have happy dreams and no more bad dreams tonight.

So this led to a very sweet conversation about what would happen when we die. I explained that if she died, it wasn't something to be frightened of. I told her about how our spirit goes up to heaven and then she would be able to spend time with all of her grandparents who had passed away and how nice they were. And then I started crying because I had such wonderful memories of them all and how I missed them all (especially my paternal Grandfather who passed away when I was 8). So that led to me crying and A said "don't cry Mommy" or something like that. And I told her why I was crying.

I told her how I missed all of those people and how the thought of her dying made me sad. Then I told her that she wouldn't die for a long time. I told her that her Great Grandmother who is dying from organ failure right now was something like 96. I told her how it would take her 92 years to get that old. That was a long time. And in the meantime she would get older and go school, jr. high, high school, college, and how she would get married and have babies of her own.

Then C piped up from the other bed and said "Mommy I want to be a teacher when I grow up and have lots of babies." It was so sweet.

So I kissed A goodnight and then went over to C's bed. We talked a little about the Grandma who was dying. She asked me what happened when we died.

I told her about how our spirits were separate from our bodies and how when her body died that her spirit would go to heaven.

So this led to a short explanation of how when she was a baby inside my tummy her spirit joined with the babies body. I am sure I confused her a little. But I tried to break it down for her.

Then she asked about how babies get out of mommies tummy, or something like that. So I said that the babies grow in mommies tummy and then come out here in a special place here under my tummy.

I was very vague and just pointed to the bottom of my tummy.

I told her that I would explain it better to her when she was a little older. And she said "when I'm 10?" and I said, no, maybe when you are 7 or 8. And it dawned on me that she is nearly there.

Anyway, I kissed her goodnight and tucked her in.

It's just amazing to me the kinds of conversations that happen when you are least expecting them.


What a sweet experience. I love my kids so much.