Old Soul

I often feel that Natalie is growing up too quickly, as I imagine most mothers feel about their children. But for as left brained as I am, Natalie seems to be equally right brained, and that makes her seem much older than her mere five and a half years. I thought, as her all her friends are losing teeth, that that would be the milestone that I would have to deal with this year - a milestone which I am not ready for both because it makes me sad and loose teeth are one of those random things, like feet and wet graham crackers, that totally gross me out. Woe, if loose teeth were the least of my issues with this little, old five and a half year old.

Last week, as we were coloring, a past time I truly enjoy, Natalie felt it was time we talked about God. The fact of the matter is that there really isn't a whole lot of God in our house...well, that is subjective. I am sure that there are plenty of people in our lives (like my Grandmother, who has already bequeathed to me a church missel, which prompted me to ask if she thought I didn't have enough God in my life) who will tell us that God is everywhere in our house and perhaps that is true, but Dan and I are not ones for talking about God on a regular basis or the wonders of Him/Her/It. Just to clear that up. But here my five and a half year old was very curious to know what I thought. If I thought he was perfect. Or if I thought He/She/It could color perfectly. They were such big questions from such a small person. Yet questions, knowing my daughter, I should have been better prepared to answer. I am not going to really get into what my answers were, but the gist of it was that she will learn many things and when she really is older, she will have to make her own decisions. I need to remind you she is five and a half, but she liked that answer.

If the coloring chat about God wasn't enough of an adult conversation for her, the following day, being in Boston, she inquired about the Holocaust monument. Why is was there? What it was for? Dan and I did our best to explain without causing trauma or nightmares, again, she is only five and a half, but she is so probing and analytical that she asked the really tough questions - again I will let you infer because the Holocaust is a really depressing topic for people of any age.

Oh, how I longed for one of her little baby teeth to fall out at that moment. Perhaps, if I had more God in my house that tiny prayer would have been answered.