"How'd they shoot him dead?"

I remember when we talked about colors and numbers. Now, as my beautiful daughter continues to grow, our conversations continue to grown more interesting. She asked last week "Mama, how'd they shoot him dead?". After a long series of questions I figured out that she was referring to Dr Martlin Luther King Jr.

The interesting thing about a five year old, is that she wasn't curious about "why" they shot him, she wanted to know how shooting him resulted in his death.

It was a strong reminder of how important it is to pay attention to the media and the toys that you expose your child to. Also, the importance of taking the time to talk about what they see and hear in that exposure. Because Maddie isn't aloud to play with toy guns or watch movies that depict violence, it had never occured to her that shooting someone with a gun kills that person. On one hand, it is comforting that a person can live with that feeling of safety. On the other hand, it scared me. Because we don't have guns in our house it had never dawned on me to talk to her about gun safety. As she grows older though, we do not have the luxury of being with her at all times and she could easily find herself at a play date where there are guns kept in the house. Suffice to say, we sat down that evening and had a long talk about guns. We spoke of their purpose, their mechanics, and the importance of not touching one.

Maybe I was affected differently because I just finished a novel about a school shooting... either way, I am so grateful that the opportunity presented itself since I hadn't thought of it on my own.

"How did all the people get here?"

Two weeks ago Maddie and I were driving home from school when she asked me "Mama, how did all the people get here?" Beleiving in religious science as I do, and being a firm believer that everyone should partake in a faith (or lack of faith) that makes sense to them, I was careful not to say "this IS what happened...". I instead took the approach of explaining that there are lots of different beliefs, but that Mama believes is that... (btw explaining evolution to a 5 year old puts a lot of strain on the brain).

I can't help but wonder though, is it better to teach children a truth at this young age and then encourage them to explore different faiths later in life? Or is it best to keep the road maps of faith open from day one? As an adult I still struggle with wanting to have one firm belief, one which I have yet to nail down, craving a "known truth" which for me does not yet exist.

Parents, what do you chose to teach your children? And non-parents, what do you think you will chose to teach when your time comes? I would love to hear from you.