A tough one....

As we were settling down at bedtime, he suddenly said, “I need to tell you something..” . Sure, I said.

He continued, “I don’t want to die” and although stunned I replied, everything and everyone dies, sweetie, but it’s ok.

Then he asked, “mom, what happens after we die?”

Phew, a tough one so I gave dad a slight nudge to signal “help me out here dear”.

Well, if we’ve been good and have done what Allah tells us to do then we get to see Allah and go to paradise, dad responded.

“What’s paradise?”, he asked. It’s a really cool place, his dad replied, where you can do whatever you want and ask for anything. What would you like to ask for? I asked

“Can I go on train rides?” Of course I said. You can even watch Playhouse Disney Channel all day long if you want. It’s a real magical place, we say.

“But mom”, he said, and with tears rolling down his cheeks, “will we see each other and be together again??”..Oh baby, I said and squeezed him real tight, of course we will…insyallah..

Next morning, he asks, “In paradise, can I be my own boss?” Sure, said daddy. “oh wow, then I can’t wait to get to paradise..!” (you see, sometimes he laments that we boss him around)

So there, the quizzical scenarios we get into with our son who turns 6 tomorrow.

How would you have handled that one, I ask you…?