President's Day Weekend has come and gone but not without teaching us all some valuable lessons here in our home.
My son's Pre-K class did an enormous amount of projects featuring George Washington and Abrahamson (as my daughter still sometime calls him) Lincoln. The schools love to teach them about all things presidential.
My son thought long and hard about what he learned and talked to me in the car on the way home from school. Jared: Mom, is Washington dead? Mom: Yes, yes he is son. Jared: I don't want to die. Mom: I know son.
Every once in a while my son asks me about death -- generally his own death. And me, being a lapsed Catholic and not having any clear answers about life, death, or life-after-death, generally fumbles with different philosophies whenever the topic arises.
Jared: But I don't want to die, because then I won't see you anymore.
And I'll be sad.
Mom: Umm, well, you'll go to heaven when you die and become an angel
and be able to see anyone you want.
Jared: Really? How do I become an angel?
Mom: Well, you become an angel because you're good and when good people
die they go to heaven (right isn't that what my Catholic school
education taught me?). The really bad people go to hell and they are
called devils. But there aren't very many bad people, so you don't have
to worry about that.
Jared: Do I have to wear a dress?
Mom: What?
Jared: If I'm an angel, do I have to wear a dress?
Mom: No, I'm sure you can wear anything you want.
Jared: So does that mean Washington is an angel?
Mom: Well, yes, because as you learned he was a very good president.
Jared: And Lincoln, is he an angel?
Mom: Sure.
Jared: And what about all the other ones?
Mom: Oh you mean the other presidents, um, yes I guess the ones that
are dead are angels.
Jared: What about our new president?
Mom: Well he's still alive, honey.
Jared: But when he dies he'll be an angel?
I start laughing out loud. Sorry but the idea of George W. Bush being an angel is a concept I just can't quite put my arms around. I almost imagine that George W. has wacky bumper stickers in his office that say things like "The Devil Made Me Do It" or "I'm A Horny Devil." He just doesn't seem angelic to me.
Mom: Well, I'm not sure about that one. (still laughing)
Jared: You mean he's not good?
Mom: No, I mean that he's EVIL!
Okay, that is what I wanted to say, instead through gritted teeth I
stammer out: "Oh, no, I'm sure he is umm good..."
And then I changed the subject. Whew, such tough questions from today's kids. Who knew I'd be covering politics and religion on the drive home with my 4-year-old? And who says mothering isn't challenging?
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