The Philosophy of a Six-Year-Old

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Eldest son: I’m not really sure. But I know I don’t want to be a leader.
Me: (puzzled) Why?
Eldest son: Because leaders always seem to die or get killed.

I’m guessing they’ve been learning a bit about Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln in kindergarten. We had a little discussion about how leaders are not always assassinated and what being a leader means. I think he understood.

But oh, the hardest dinner discussion came when he confessed another truth.
Him: (girl’s name) had a bad day. Her family is splitting up.
Me: I’m so sorry to hear that. It must be hard on her.
Him: How can a family split up?

I could see the worry on his face. But the hardest part for me was trying to explain how some adults just don’t love each other any more and they decide to live apart. He replied, “Well, that’s not very nice. You should always love each other.”

Oh, the death of innocence. They never tell you how to answer these sorts of questions. It makes me want to squeeze him tight and shelter him as much as I can.