Child-osophy

A conversation on our drive to dance class Saturday morning: T: What happens to your birthday when you die? M: Well, the people who are still alive who loved you might still do something special on that day. Because a birthday isn't about cake and presents. It's about recognizing that someone you care about is here and was born and that they mean something special to you. T: What if I die before I have enough kids? M: I'm not sure I understand, sweets. T: I mean... how do you get married? M: You don't have to worry about getting married until you are all grown up and don't live with Mommy and Daddy anymore. T: But how do you get married? M: Someday you will grow up and meet someone special and fall in love. T: How do you fall in love? M: It's just something that happens. You have very special and different feelings for someone and you want to spend most of your time with them and you want to choose to be kind to them all the time. T: Oh! Then I want to marry Zachary! M: Well, we can't marry people already in our family because we get married so our family can be bigger. So we marry someone that isn't related to us. T: Oh. Hm. Then I can't marry Grandma. Who isn't in our family? M: Your friends at school or at church or... T: Oh! Then I want to marry Gabby. M: You like her a bunch, don't you? But you don't have to make any decisions about marrying anyone until you are a lot older. T: You mean like when I'm 10? M: Even older than that! T: Maybe I'll marry Lauren. M: Maybe. T: Mom? M: Yeah, babe? T: I love you. M: I love you, too, babe. T: You know who I hate? M: Hate? Oh that is a very strong word, Teapot. T: I hate monsters. And bad guys. M: Hate is a very strong, ugly, mean word. I don't like that word very much. Even when someone hurts me really, really bad, and I'm really, really angry with them... I don't love them and I don't like them... but I choose not to hate anyone, sweets. I try to forgive someone if they hurt me. I do my best to make sure they won't hurt me again. But I still try to forgive them. God loves those bad guys all the time- even when they are mean and hurting someone. So I choose not to hate, too. T: Ooooh. I love you, Mom. You're the best. M: I love you, too. You're the best, too. T: You're silly. And so am I!