Death, Part II

I was getting ready to put Christian to bed 2 nights ago, when we had the following conversation -


Ch: "I want popo to make me sleep."

Me: "oh? you don't want mama?"

Ch: "No...because next time mama die then I must go popo's house to sleep and I need to go to work by myself and I must earn money you know...*slight pause* but I don't know what is my work.."

I said i won't die..not for a long time yet

Ch then asks brightly - "oh next time Christian grow up then you will die?"

I said "hopefully not soon" but he countered with "daddy said after i grow bigger than mama and daddy then you will die."

Sigh. I grilled P on his exact words. He said he told him "You must learn to read cos when daddy and mama are not around next time you need to work, earn money and you must know how to read so you can buy food."

I told him that was such a stupid way to motivate a child. P told me ruefully that Ch has also been asking him, in the quiet time they share before bedtime "Daddy, you long time then die right.."

How do we close the pandora's box now?

I remember a colleague telling me that she feared her mother's death after some relative died in his sleep, such that whenever her mother took a nap, she would go shake her mother and wake her up. Her mother eventually issued a standing order to my friend's siblings to keep her away from the mother during the latter's nap times, cos she was eventually getting migraines thanks to my friend. A parent's death is probably a child's greatest fear. I'm not optimistic, but praying that Ch will forget this topic soon.