I was in the shower where I do a lot of my best thinking, and I started wondering about the questions I will be faced with when Mackenzie gets older. I had a flashback: My mother was the type to always say, "I think I'm dying!" when she was ill. One such time, I crawled in to her bed crying and asked her... "Mommy what happens if you die and the angels don't come? What if the devil gets here first?" She said to me in a very harsh tone, "If the devil comes near me I will beat the heck out of him!" And I believed her wholeheartedly, still do! She definitely put my mind at ease as a little girl.
What if Mackenzie wants me to promise that Mommy and Daddy will never, ever leave her? What if something does happen to Buddy and I? We prepare as best we can, but what do you say to a little girl? Do you comfort her and put her mind at ease and say, "Of course we will never leave you no matter what." Or do you tell her the honest truth, "We will be here for you as long as we can."
What if she asks if Mommy and Daddy will ever get divorced? My immediate response is, "Of course not!". But let's face it, divorce happens to the best of us sometimes. And although we don't foresee it happening and don't want it to happen... do you make a promise that you aren't sure can be kept? Who knows what the future holds. (But I never plan on divorcing Buddy!)
Some questions are easier than others, I just hope I know the right response when I'm faced with them.
