Monsters and Lemonon

I was giving the kids a bath tonight and shampooing their hair. They really don’t enjoy that part of their bath so they were complaining as usual. I started making an object lesson out of it explaining to the kids how thankful we should be that we have soap and shampoo and water and how many children in the world don’t. I admit I got a little into it when I started talking about how children who don’t wash their hair get lice and itchy bugs in their head that bite them etc. etc.

Right about then I had my hands all suds-up with shampoo in Ella’s hair when she turns her big blue eyes up to mine and looked and me and said “Mommy, Jesus HAS to give them soap!” “Yes” I reply, thinking about how to continue my lesson on gratefulness, “If they are thankful children He will give them soap.” “And if we pray for them to get soap.” Ella adds. “Oh yes, let’s pray for them now.” I say “Jesus, please supply soap and shampoo and clean water for all of the children around the world….” I pray until Evan pipes in “Especially the children in countries where there is war, like Iraq and LEMONON!”

I think my children are wonderful.

But they are not always so spiritual. As evidenced by their conversations only an hour later once they were in bed…

I had put on the show on DVD “Life with Grandpa” and they were watching the song on there called “Quacky the Duck” when they break out into this lively conversation between themselves about why the little boy (a puppet) took the picture of his duck down off the wall and put it on his bed. They were saying how he must have done that because he didn’t want to see his ducky anymore because his ducky had died, and on and on. So I interject that the little boy was just trying to look at his picture of the duck. The kids had different opinions on the matter and would not agree with me.

Finally the song ends and “Grandpa” (another puppet character) says “Isn’t that a cute little song about a boy who’s pet died and went to heaven.” To which Evan loudly reacts:

“Cute? Cute? Grandpa thinks that is cute? Ella and I think it is HORRIBLE!”

Again I figure it’s an opportunity for an object lesson. This time on the cycle of life, the afterlife and heaven.

“Kids, it’s not horrible.” I try to explain. It’s part of life to die and it’s a happy thing when loved ones, even pets, go to heaven. We talk about our loved ones and friends we know who have passed on and gone to heaven. Then I ask them what they would prefer, if the boy wrote a sad song about his pet dying or a song with a happy ending teaching them how there is something to still be happy about.”

Evan sticks to his position. “That song makes us cry. Me and Ella think it’s horrible!”

Okay… I start to say, and again try to explain more about pets, life after life, and heaven.

This time Ella pipes in: “Mommy, you know, this one time, we read this story, and it was about this little boy whose pet monster died and went to heaven…”

“MONSTER?” I ask.

“Yes, his pet monster. So anyway, this boy has a pet monster and he dies, and….” Ella continues

“Oh!” I realize, “You mean the story in your MILK book about the little pet HAMSTER named Hammie who dies and goes to heaven?”

“Yes, Hammie, the pet Hamster, well he dies and….”

God, I love being a mom. Life as mom is like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you are going to get. But be certain it’s always going to be sweet and rich!