He doesn’t know about the Holocaust, 9/11, Columbine, Waco, explosions in Boston or West.
He believes guns are only for shooting the bad guys, although he doesn’t really understand the concept of “bad guys”.
Sandy is something he gets after a day at the park or beach not a devastating hurricane or the name of an elementary school in Virginia.
He knows his mommy and daddy can comfort him, although when he’s really apprehensive, like standing in line for his first (kid-friendly) roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm, his lovely does it best.
He doesn’t understand political smear campaigns, bullies or strangers.
He wants to be friends with everyone and upon meeting him for the first time, don’t be surprised if he invites you over for a play date.
He hears his mommy curse from time to time but doesn’t realize that words can be very harmful.
He sings the Thomas & Friends theme song with such conviction, it has become his own personal anthem.
He’s never heard of Ricin and to be honest, I hadn’t either until a couple of days ago.
He doesn’t know that there are children dying of starvation, children that don’t have fresh water to drink, shoes on their feet or beds to sleep in.
I believe he could live off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), pretzels and M&Ms.
He asks a lot of questions about how far away heaven is and why he can’t visit his Grandma and Grandpa Adams.
He loves to practice winking at me and writing his name; and has mastered Candy Land and Memory, especially when he gets to shuffle the cards.
He thinks when an airplane takes off, it always lands and a familiar face or exciting adventure awaits him.
He doesn’t know that evil exists and that bad things happen to good people for no reason whatsoever.
It’s a big bad scary world out there and I can only shelter my son for so long. I can only control what he hears and sees for so long. For now, I have all the answers, but soon I won’t. I want Lucas to learn about the world around him, the good, the bad and the very ugly, but first I want him to have a childhood; filled with only things that make him smile.
I look over at him now, sitting in the middle of our living room, surrounded by his cars and trusty lovely. He is watching a bright and colorful episode of Bubble Guppies and I think, the bad stuff can wait.
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I really hate that we can only shelter them for so long. I wish we could protect them forever.
So very very very true. There are so many things, both little and big that go on that I have no clue how to explain to Mason and really wish I’d never have to….
I so struggle with this. My girls know about “bad guys,” but it’s on a level of imagination and super heroes. Just tonight I was trying to explain that bad guys make bad choices, and my husband decided to tell them that sometimes bad guys take mommies (he had a different intention, but the initial statement blew up in his face). They lost their shit! He really didn’t think about the fact that that stuff is very REAL to them. If you talk about it, it’s going to happen. So that’s why I haven’t talked to me girls about any of these tragedies.
I know this feeling! I want to protect him forever, and I know I can’t. Even tonight, I was telling my husband that our nanny got into an accident (a minor one) but my son was fixated on the word “accident” and grabbed onto it like a puppy with a rope toy.
When I was about four years old, my Mom told my siblings and me that Dad would be late for dinner because he was “tied up at the office.” It took about 45 minutes of calming us down and explaining that there were no ropes involved! Yikes!
So true. By the way, your son sounds a lot like my friend’s nephew. It took him a while to figure out that not everyone on the plane were going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. :o)
I know this, and I feel the same. I think I’ll let them sit with the good for a while longer. Actually, as long as possible.
Yes, the bad stuff can certainly wait for now. There is plenty of time for all that. XOXO
Oh how I wish we could keep them in the bubble of ‘good’ forever. It breaks my heart that our kids have to grow up with things like this in our world.