"Mommy, Are You Going to Heaven or the Doctor?"

Children have a profound way of getting straight to the point. Toddlers aren’t capable of the abstract concepts of Heaven and death, but it was apparent that my children understood there was a difference between living and dying when they caught me walking out the door.


Their little eyes were intently waiting for an answer that would satisfy the concern behind the question. The fact that the question and anticipated response kept their undivided attention meant that they were going to wait for the response.


It took a few seconds, along with deep breaths, to turn around and face them. “Well, Mommy is going to the doctor right now. Some day we will all go to Heaven, but God decides when it is that time. Mommy thinks that she is going to be staying with you guys for awhile.”


Are we ever ready as parents to answer the questions our children ask? Below are a few of the things Gary and I have done to help Brady and Reese understand a very complicated issue.


1.Get the facts about your diagnosis and prognosis. Make sure that you know how to convey the information on a developmentally appropriate level. For example, “Mommy is taking medicine to help her heart work right.” Young children do not need to know the name, specific function, side effects, or misleading information.
2. How are you instilling hope? Are your children keenly aware that you are always miserable, or do they predominately see your good moments, even if the storm seems relentless?
3. Make sure that they understand your health is not the result of anything they have done or not done. Children tend to take on responsibility that should not fall on their shoulders.
4.  Build memories. Regardless of any circumstance or the ultimate outcome, have you left your children with a legacy of love? Do they know Jesus?  Can they see God's love, mercy, and grace in good times and bad? Every day is a learning experience for all of us.  Strive to help them see, feel, and know our Heavenly Father.




I would LOVE to hear your responses to some of the dreaded questions children pose . . . Birds and the bees . . . Does she have a baby in there? . . . How do I get a new mommy? . . . First discovery that boys and girls are different . . .
 

Happy Friday!

 

When I took this picture, Reese was singing:

I may never march in the infantry

Ride in the cavalry

Shoot the artillery

I may never fly o'er the enemy

But I'm in the Lord's army!

Yes Sir!