Thursday, July 24, 2008

A 3 year old's perspective -simple

So T and I were driving (well I was) out to the reservation where I am implementing a summer evening program with the kids, she pipes up, where is my grandpa? Just out of the blue. How do you answer your little one, when there is no grandpa and you've already had to also explain about the MIA dad? For those 20 seconds it took me to answer, my tears welled up and I felt so bad that I had to tell her she didn't have a grandpa -cursed the fates that took her Papa (my dad) and the absent grandpa from her dad's side. As is my way and to keep it real I told her that she didn't have a grandpa, as is her way she immediately stated that yes she did! Hmmm what to do now? So I said , welllll you do have a Papa -his picture is hanging up in our house but he's no longer with us. To my amazement she said yes, she had a Papa and his picture is by our room. (Happy as can be she was). She then asked me where my grandpa was, I had to tell her he was only in a picture too, that he had died a long time ago. She was so excited that we both had grandpas....in pictures. I just had to laugh, yes that was true, it was all so simple to her and she didn't feel left out. I know this will change as she grows older and asks more questions, but for now all is well in the Jack household. (I told my mom this story and she said that her and T had a conversation about Papa last week.)

1 comment:

Gina said...

Well if your goal was to make me cry tonight you did a bang up job. We can be so thankful for the inocence (that doesn't look spelled right, oh well) of children even when it breaks our hearts.

Here's me sending you a hug.