Does anyone out there in blogland have any ideas on how to help me help Jonathon gain a better understanding of death?
We have shown him and involved him in the death of animals and extended family for years, so he has seen what death looks like. My struggle is he thinks we leave dead people at the cemetary and that's where they live. I need a way to help him understand our belief that we have a spirit and that when we die our spirit will go to heaven.
A minister used a tent as an analogy... yeah, even I didn't get that! He was saying that our bodies are our tents and that some tents are fragile and collapse or die (???). Uhmmmm, I guess... but where does our spirit leaving the body come into play? Because what's inside my tent is my sleeping bag and pillow! LOL!
I'm thinking of taking a balloon filled with helium and putting it in a box. I will tell Jonathon that we are pretending (for the most part he gets pretending) that our bodies are the box and inside is our spirit and then open the box and he can visually see the balloon rise and go out of sight. Then do I bury the box??? Can anyone suggest a better "container" to depict the body?
What do you all think or do you have any other suggestions?
THANK YOU!!!
Mom-Vickie
Maybe one balloon that represents the body and one that represents the spirit. Let one go and then bury the box with the one balloon.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know. I hope you come up with something that works.
We are just starting down this road with our 2 boys. They are 5 and 4 and have an ailing great grandfather. We have never really brought up the subject of death of a loved one. It's mainly talked about when our cats come home with the occasional bird or mouse.
Good Luck.