Heaven is (not) a Place on Earth (posted 4/19/2011)

What do preschoolers think about?  Certainly not what mine has been thinking about: Babies, Heaven, and Death. 

Katy is four years old, going on ten.  Lately we’ve been having conversations on some pretty deep subjects that she has raised.  Many times, our conversations occur in the car while I’m driving.  Out of nowhere from the back seat, she has asked questions and made statements such as,

“Mommy, who will take care of my toys when I die?”
“Mommy, how do we get to heaven?  Can we drive there?”
“Mommy, I’m going to have a puppy.  When I grow up and die, who will take care of my puppy?”
“Mommy, how do you get out of heaven?  Do they have cars so you can drive out of there?”
“Mommy, what if I have to go potty when I’m in heaven?”
“Mommy, what if I get hungry when I’m in heaven?”
“Mommy, will you get God’s phone number?  You have to call her so she will come here because I have to talk to her about some things.  I can’t remember what she looks like.”
“Mommy, when I go to heaven to get a baby, I will remember what it looks like there.”

She’s asked me so many amazing and difficult questions that I’ve had to come up with a philosophy in pretty short order.  Since she was only three (and now four), my philosophy has consisted of the following:

Babies live in heaven with God and the angels before they get to be born here on earth.  The people we love that grow old and die go to heaven and get to help the angels take care of the babies.  (This came about because of a photo of my grandma, who died before Katy was born.)

Everybody dies, but usually not until they are very old.  (Had to quiet her fears as she went through a phase of, “Mom, I don’t want to die!”)  We needn’t be afraid of dying because when it happens we get to go back to heaven.  When we’re in heaven, we are with God, Jesus, and the angels, and we’re happy.
When a mom and dad decide they want to have a baby, they pray to God that they will get to have a baby.  Then God puts a baby in the mom’s belly for it to grow until it’s ready to be born.  (Phew!  Had to come up with that one on the fly when asked where babies come from.)

In heaven, you will have whatever you need.  (Katy couldn’t fathom being anywhere without a potty, so I finally agreed that they have potties there.)  Any food you want, it’s there.  Any game you want to play or thing you want to do, you can do.  (Upon explaining that one, she told me she couldn’t wait to get to heaven.)

God IS Love.  (Whoa… Wrap your mind around that one, Katy Rose!  She’s still working on it.)