bedtime is a usual battle of the wills in our house. your house too?
sometimes its just 1 or 2 times of me saying "ok, so what is our bedtime rule again?" and unanimously they say "stay in bed" so they get it ... but do they care? other nights its more like 10-20 times. sigh.
last night, after the usual 1-2 time lecture, Samuel comes out crying. I knew it wasn't his "hurt cry," it wasn't his "freak out, I'm scared cry," it was one I wasn't too familiar with. how funny, he's 6 1/2 years old and here's new one.
he comes out to hug me tightly and says, "mom, I don't want you to ever leave me. I don't want you to die." my heart instantly breaks.
I do my best to reassure him that part of my purpose for being alive is to be his mommy. "God has a plan," is what I kept telling him, and reminded him of why we are thankful every night in our prayers for THIS day.
he has asked about death before, but without much concern. for whatever reason he has taken it one step further.
I suppose I could look at it in a good way; he's thinking, he's applying principles and following through ... sort of. but of course we all know where that "what-if thinking" gets us ... usually unnecessary anxiety.
I can't help but think of my favorite movie - Forrest Gump - and recite those words his mother told him as she lay in bed with cancer. "death is just apart of life. its something we're all destined to do."
I wouldn't say I'm comfortable with death, but when I think of it as the way God designed it, it brings a little more peace. yes it will be sad to leave my loved ones, and enter in to an unknown, BUT I do look forward to meeting my Creator.
my 2 cents -
unless there is some freak accident, I don't have the sense my time to go is anytime soon. I have been told so many stories of that 6th sense kicking in when their time is near ... to me, that 6th sense is from God and its more than just a voice inside your head.
how have you handled the "death talk" with your kids?
sometimes its just 1 or 2 times of me saying "ok, so what is our bedtime rule again?" and unanimously they say "stay in bed" so they get it ... but do they care? other nights its more like 10-20 times. sigh.
last night, after the usual 1-2 time lecture, Samuel comes out crying. I knew it wasn't his "hurt cry," it wasn't his "freak out, I'm scared cry," it was one I wasn't too familiar with. how funny, he's 6 1/2 years old and here's new one.
he comes out to hug me tightly and says, "mom, I don't want you to ever leave me. I don't want you to die." my heart instantly breaks.
I do my best to reassure him that part of my purpose for being alive is to be his mommy. "God has a plan," is what I kept telling him, and reminded him of why we are thankful every night in our prayers for THIS day.
he has asked about death before, but without much concern. for whatever reason he has taken it one step further.
I suppose I could look at it in a good way; he's thinking, he's applying principles and following through ... sort of. but of course we all know where that "what-if thinking" gets us ... usually unnecessary anxiety.
I can't help but think of my favorite movie - Forrest Gump - and recite those words his mother told him as she lay in bed with cancer. "death is just apart of life. its something we're all destined to do."
I wouldn't say I'm comfortable with death, but when I think of it as the way God designed it, it brings a little more peace. yes it will be sad to leave my loved ones, and enter in to an unknown, BUT I do look forward to meeting my Creator.
my 2 cents -
unless there is some freak accident, I don't have the sense my time to go is anytime soon. I have been told so many stories of that 6th sense kicking in when their time is near ... to me, that 6th sense is from God and its more than just a voice inside your head.
how have you handled the "death talk" with your kids?
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