One foot out the door...

Big is just that...Big!  I have watched him mature so much over this past couple months.  We've had a great summer this year.  Lots of skate parks and swimming pools.  But, Big has started to become more responsible and reliable.  At 8 years old, I can leave him alone for small periods of time at a skate park and trust him to make good decisions.  He is helping with meal prep and always looks out for his brother.  He's even taken some initiative to help me load and unload the car for BMX and camping.


On one hand, I think that's really amazing.  I can see the adult in him and the amazing person he is becoming.  I can see a light at the end of the tunnel that we are doing something right raising him to be a responsible, caring person.

But, on the other hand, it makes me a little sad.  He has a hard time relating to younger kids and playing their games.  He'd much prefer to hang out with the adults and be part of their conversations than play.  He's still a kid at heart but sometimes, he'd just rather chill with a book rather than run around being silly.


The other day, he started asking me about God and how the world started and some really deep questions about Jesus and why Jesus would sacrifice himself.  "Can you just decide to die when you want to, mommy?"

Smokes!  He caught me hugely off guard.  I explained to him about scientists believing in evolution and natural selection and what that meant.  And then I explained to him about other people believing in a God creating all living things and placing them on Earth the way he chose.  And then he asked me...

"What do you believe, mommy?"

Well, I didn't know how to answer that question.  I am strongly in the camp of my kids making their own decisions.

So, I told him that "I believe that everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe, even if it's different than what I believe."  And then I explained that he should ask as many questions as he can and get all the facts before he makes his own decision on what he believes.

And then the most amazing thing happened.  His 8 year old little friend who goes to Catholic school, sat beside him and the two of them discussed Jesus and God and "little pieces of bread that are from Jesus' body"....clearly, he's missing some information :)

But, the fact that two 8 year olds a) care enough to think of these questions and b) have the answers, is a truly amazing thing to watch!

So while I can see that my kid has one foot in the door of childhood and one foot out, and while I don't want to rush him out the door anytime soon, these little glimpses of adulthood are pretty cool to observe.  And so far, I'm liking what I see :)