Lynnie
01-10-2006, 12:23 PM
Yesterday my 3 1/2 year old informed me that "Marteen" Luther King had been shot and killed by James "Ewrrey" (I don't know where he learned this, but his pre-K teacher has an accent, so I guess that is where he learned it) and that everyone was sad and cried, and then he started asking all kinds of questions about death, his great-grandmother's death (20 months ago), if his body would die, about what happens after death, about punishment for people who kill other people, about God, etc. I tried to answer simply and matter of factly for him, but was just wondering if anyone knows of any good books or articles on this topic. It got to the point where we almost had a discussion about capital punishment, since he wanted to know if people who killed other people would die, or be killed, and I could really use a little guidance. It was funny, though, when he told me james earl ray went to jail, and then said he didn't want to go to jail - I said he wouldn't, because only criminals go to jail (although as former public defender I may have to expound upon this as he gets older, but I digress and don't want to turn this into a political thread) so then he said, he was not going to go to criminal school, so therefore would not be a criminal.
In this case, I tried to focus on the good that Martin Luther King did during his lifetime (which of course led to a discussion on discrimination, as simplified as I could make it for him) but I didn't want to shy away from his questions about death, and would really appreciate any advice. I do plan on starting his religious school training on the weekends now, and told DH we have to start going to temple (they have this "tot shabbot" at a nearby temple) but still feel like I am a bit floundering on how to answer these questions.
In this case, I tried to focus on the good that Martin Luther King did during his lifetime (which of course led to a discussion on discrimination, as simplified as I could make it for him) but I didn't want to shy away from his questions about death, and would really appreciate any advice. I do plan on starting his religious school training on the weekends now, and told DH we have to start going to temple (they have this "tot shabbot" at a nearby temple) but still feel like I am a bit floundering on how to answer these questions.