Getting Old

I had a serious conversation with my son tonight. It went like this:

"Mom, when I'm old and grown, will you have any more kids?"

"Uh, no Seth. I won't." With a straight face.

"Why not?"

"Because I'll be too old to have any more babies," I answered.

He pondered this while I read to him. I thought the conversation was over, but really, he was brooding during the whole story because as soon as I was done, he turned to me with tears in his eyes and said:

"Mom," {lips quivering} "I really, really don't want you to get old."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I don't want you to be old and wrinkled," was his reply. He was fully crying by this point. I know where these questions are coming from. We have been spending a lot of time with his great granny and, unfortunately, the fact that she is failing a little is an ever present part of conversation in our household.

"Seth, when I'm old and wrinkled, you'll be a grown man and you will feel differently about your mom being old and wrinkled then," I tried to explain.

"I will not! I will NEVER want you to be old and wrinkled!" he adamantly stated.

"What is it about being old and wrinkled that bothers you?" I asked him.

"Cuz when you're old and wrinkled, you'll likely get killed in a car accident!" he replied.

How do I get that out of his head? When I'm old and wrinkled I will die, but not likely in a car accident.......but that will not be any more reassuring to him. It's the whole death, dying and getting old thing that is pressing most on his mind. So we prayed. I asked God to comfort him. Then it was time for bed, so I told his dad about his concern so dad would pray for him as well. Before we all prayed, his dad's conversation with Seth began like this:

"Seth, don't you want to grow up and be a man? And do grown up things?"

"NO!" was Seth's reply.

"Don't you want to ever drive a car?" his dad asked.

"NO!" was Seth's reply.

"Don't you want to build buildings?" This hit the jackpot, because that is Seth's passion.

"Yes..." very quietly.

"Don't you want to go on a long walk in the woods, all by yourself?" dad asked.

"NO!" Okay then........

"Don't you want to go on a walk WITH A GIRLFRIEND?" dad asked.

"I already have a girlfriend," he said with a sigh. (Like, why would I need to be grown up if I already have a girlfriend, dad?)

Like duh. Of course. (She is 13 years old and goes to our church and he has had a crush on her since the minute she stepped in our door. She is also the sweetest girl in the world fortunately).

And even though we didn't quite convince him that it was okay to be old, it did get his mind off of the subject somewhat.

Oh the methods parents must take......