Musings of a 6 Year Old

JT is seriously getting theological on me. Today as we walked home from school I commented to him that he has been behaving so much better the last few weeks of school. The teacher's complaints have stopped, he has been finishing all of his work without (too much) whining. I am very proud of him. I asked him, what changed? He said he prayed to God to make him a good boy. I was so flabbergasted... yes I said flabbergasted! I never taught him to pray, and was immediately ashamed that I had not fostered his obviously natural spiritual inclination. So I told him I pray every night, and he said that he does too, as he falls asleep. I asked him what he prays, he said he prays for the morning to come, and for a plasma TV for his room... I tried so hard not to laugh, but will definitely be encouraging this newfound good habit of his.

Over dinner he told me he doesn't want me to get old and die. I told him, everyone has to be born, and everyone has to die, but I wont die for a very very long time, so eat your burrito. It didn't really work this time, worry etched his smooth brown face. He said he doesn't want to die either, and where will he go? I said I don't know, nobody knows, but I think you will get to go see God. That mollified him a bit. A moment later he asked when I was a baby, where was he? I said he didn't exist at the time. He could not grasp that. I finally gave in a bit and told him he was in my heart. I hate giving him unrealistic answers to honest questions, but he really had me backed into a corner. I can't exactly tell a 6 year old all about life and death. It would be so much easier if we were Christian, or Muslim, or Jewish... really any religion with specific answers to his questions, but I refuse to give him religion as a crutch. I'd rather give him sentimental cliches, such as being in my heart, and when he is old enough I hope he will appreciate that I never chose his spiritual path for him.