I can’t say this for parent’s of other children, but mine seem to hit a milestone around age 4. Its called the “What is Heaven like?” milestone. Just as soon as they stop asking “why?” for everything in the world, they move onto things out of this world and begin to ask questions about the afterlife and more specifically Heaven.
This week I started getting questions from the littlest K about Heaven. It started out by her asking, “When will I see Aunt Dot?” and just kept going from there. Here are a few:
- Will we all go to heaven together?
- Where will our new home be when we get there?
- Will we take our clothes with us?
- When does Roxy (our dog) come up?
- Is there ice cream in heaven?
- When will Granny go to heaven?
- Can I dance in heaven?
- After we get there, when do we come back home?
I have a love/hate relationship with these questions. I’m glad that she’s asking questions that are part of the faith development process. I’m also glad she realizes the importance of heaven. But I hate talking about death and I dread her discovery of the probability that I’ll leave her someday while she waits.
Right now her world is built around her and her home (and the people that love her in it). But I want to prepare a future for her where she knows that there is an eternity and it can be her home; and once she’s there it will be her home. No need to turn back.
Until Everyone Hears,