Out of the Mouths of Babes

[LostMyCharles]

A few weeks ago, my 5 year old daughter said to me out of the blue "Mommy, I wish they made medicine to stop you from crying all the time." Poor sweet child.

 

Anyone else have stories to share, funny things their children have said?

[robunknown]

I have a pretty funny one. After the funeral at the church my 5 year old son and I walked behind the casket as they brought it to the grave site about 100 yards away. As the pall bearers approached the open grave, there was near silence from everyone, and my son very loudly asks (not crying, just asking like a 5 year old), "Are they just gonna throw it in there?" I about burst out laughing. My wife would have thought that was funny. I explained it to him quietly how they were going to lower it down. The funeral home director came up to me and said that was the funniest thing he's ever heard.

[LostMyCharles]

Thank you, Robunknown.  That made me laugh as well.

[Guest Lost35]

LostMyCharles,  I find I've gained a great deal listening to the directness of the little voice in my house.  I wish there was a medicine to help...

 

robunknown,  thank you for the laugh.  I can just see everyone twisting themselves inside out to remain appropriate to the situation.  The Funeral Home Director handled that with poise and honesty. 

 

-L.

[AaronP]

The morning my wife passed in hospital we all said our goodbyes, lots of tears.  My girls were there, my parents and of course my wife's parents as well.  I need to pack up the months of accumulated stuff in her room to take with us and put away my wife's cell phone.  My girls often used the phone while visiting to pass the time in hospital.  As I placed it into the bag my eldest, who's 5 at the time, looks at me and says "so I guess mommy doesn't need her phone anymore - that means it's mine now right?"

 

???

 

Oh dear child!!

 

:

[ManutesGirl]

At the church my 4 year old nephew looked at the casket and asked what was in that treasure chest.  His Mom was sort of shocked but I still smile at that thought cause DH certainly was a treasure.

[widowat33]

My youngest a couple hours after finding out my husband passed away asked if he could have his ipad. I have to admit I was upset at the time, but now I realize he hadn't processed the whole thing and just really wanted to have his own ipad.

[Virgo]

Today I went to have lunch with my 7yo daughter (2nd grader.) One of the boys in our neighborhood is also in 2nd grade. He came up to me and said, "tell Abby I'm sorry her dad died." Even though it caught me off guard I thought it was sweet. I didn't tell my daughter though.

[Guest Lost35]

Wow.  What a kind and thoughtful young man.  I love hearing that kids are capable of such empathy. 

 

[jaxiesfool]

My 2.5 year old son and I went to a super nerdy board game store the other day with my boyfriend (J) and my son asks "J, where did you take us?" "Heaven!" (Pause) "Is this where my dad is?"

[Mac]

We always took our children to funerals, starting at an early age. We also stressed the importance of visiting people who were in their final days on this earth. We wanted them to realize that death is a natural part of life.

 

My daughter was quite young when my great uncle Tom passed. We took her to the funeral. There was an open casket before the service. My daughter did look into the casket. I was close by, but not right next to her. I knew her background in terms of funerals and i was paying attention to the expression on her face.

 

My brother Tom (I'm the youngest of five) was concerned and came over to talk to her. He said to her: "That is just your great Uncle Tom's body. He is in Heaven now. And someday you will get to see him in Heaven." She looked up at him with a smile on her face and said: "But you'll get to see him before I do, right uncle Tom?"

 

I've never been uncomfortable about my own mortality. My brother has struggled a bit more with his mortality. So he looked at her with a slightly disturbed look on his face and said: "Yes, if things do go according to plan, I will get to see him first."

 

 

[Lola2009]

When my son was 3 (he's 5 now) I was hearing banging in my bedroom. I went to see what was going on and found him turning his Daddy's urn over and over on the floor (it's a heavy rectangle metal box). I asked him what in the world he was doing and he said innocently, "I am playing with Daddy!!"  I pretty sure I heard my husband laughing somewhere. 

[ThalginsLuv]

Years ago my girlfriend's father passed away. She was trying to explain what happened to her 7 year old boy and 4 year old girl. The little girl keep thinking that grandpa just moved away and we could go visit him. So the 7 year old boy steps in to explain it to his sister:

 

boy: "No, grandpa is dead. You know like (he makes the "dead face" by taking his finger across this throat like he is slicing his throat, he tilted he head sideways, bugged out his eyes and stuck his tongue out to the side and makes the eeek sound)."

 

girl: "OH, I get it! Like the squashed bug you stepped on!"

 

 

[Virgo]

My 7yo daughter just told me that she will NOT date a boy that eats at McDonald's. Fast food is gross! She has her priorities straight. haha

[gretchen437]

"can you get married so I can have a dad"

 

also because I told him when you die you become part of everything around you, everything in nature, he regularly says hi to trees saying "hi daddy" and when it snowed this winter he ate some snowflakes and said, "I'm eating daddy"

[mo12]

My 16 month old says quite a few words but isn't really "talking" much yet, if that makes sense- no full sentences or profound insights that I can understand:)  Anyways, I show her pictures of her Dad (he died when she was two months old) and she says "dada," but always also pats herself on the head when she says it... I have no idea where this came from!  It is cute and kind of weird! 

[luvmy2babies]

The days following my husband?s death my daughter had a couple of interesting thoughts.  My daughter was a month from her 7th birthday when dh died. 

 

Somewhere in between the day he died and the funeral, not sure which day, there were people in the house all the time bringing food.  At some point she pulled me aside and said in my ear, ?If I see one more chicken come into this house, I?m going to scream.?  I almost fell out.  Chicken, the official funeral bird.

 

Two days after: Her: ?Sooo?mom?  Daddy really isn?t coming back?  Me: ?No, sweetheart, he isn?t.?  Her: How long before we get a new one??  Me: ?A new what??  Her: ?A new daddy.? 

 

Now at that time she thought dh?s death also meant we were not a family anymore.  She understood sometime later we were just a different kind of family.  It's been 5 years.  She still asks for another daddy though, just not as often.