I told my little girl about angels yesterday...

[Edwardo Piet]

So I'm not the only one then

[paulpablo]

The afterlife thing backfired on me because when I was told about it I became insanely terrified of eternity and how boring it could become.
Even now I've learned to switch my brain off from it, and I think it's the fear of that which used to make me take drugs a lot and now drives me to want sex a lot is because those are the only two things that take my mind off death.

I have no idea what I'll tell my daughter, the angels part of your story was ridiculously cute though.

I was lied to about santa but I took it as a joke kind of thing, like my parents tried to trick me as a joke, I know some kids who took it very seriously though and went a bit crazy finding out he wasn't real.

[Edwardo Piet]

Only time I feared death was when I first learned I was going to die (not sure that was even fear, it was more tears of huge disappointment. I'm not sure I've EVER been afraid of death). Or at the very least since being an adult I've realized there's literally nothing to fear. If I didn't wake up tomorrow I literally would not care (of course). I'll never be afraid of death. If a psychopathic axe-wielding serial killer was chasing me I'd be afraid of pain and pain alone, nothing more, nothing less.

[The Grand Nudger]

Lying to kids is superfun.  They're such hapless rubes.  Any kid whose instinctive response to the angel proposition is to question their dietary requirements, manner of dress, and day to day activities is gonna be just fine.

@Paul, Stop blaming your drug soaked sexcapades on mortality. You do that because you're a horny addict.

[paulpablo]

Only time I feared death was when I first learned I was going to die. Or at least since being an adult I've realized there's literally nothing to fear. If I didn't wake up tomorrow I literally would not care (of course).

I try and remember this philosophy.

The first time I found out about death I was listening to that song puff the magic dragon and it says he doesn't die in the song and I asked my mum why is it a big deal that he doesn't die.

I was sat on the washing machine and she was washing up while she explained about the futility of life and how we all die. And if I knew how to swear at the time I probably would have been thinking ohhh shiiiit.

[Edwardo Piet]

Hehe. Interesting. Wish I could relate

Also the afterlife would never get boring if there was one.... if and only if it was a truly heavenly heaven.

[Astonished]

She's 6 and was having a "big questions" moment yesterday evening, talking about death.  I told her that "it happens to everyone" but that for her, "it is a long, long time away..."  I told her that when a person dies that person is buried in the ground, but then she got really upset and started crying, asking, "That's what they will do to me?!  Put me in the ground!"  And, so, I soon told her that after awhile that the person turns into an angel, and a short time later, she got very happy and we went online and a looked at pictures of angels, and then, lots of questions about what angels eat, the clothes they wear, whether they visit the Earth or leave it, etc., etc.  We also talked about guinea pig angels and cats angels, etc.

I am not raising my kids to be atheists, but to think for themselves, and so, we have taught our kids about the existence of Santa Claus, fairies, etc., and I figure, when they get old enough, they'll figure it out.  Still, I have always known how religious faith can be comforting, especially, to a little child, but to see it in action, was a bit of an epiphanic moment for me.

Still, though, I don't believe in any of it, like Santa Claus, but I was so happy to see my little girl comforted.

You're planting a potentially very dangerous seed. Others will pick up on this and prey on her out of your ability to temper. I wouldn't go down that road at all. You could use the 'before you were born' analogy, or the truth, that there's no pain or suffering anymore, or the prospect of finding out if indeed there is anything beyond what we can know that happens after death, so that's something to look forward to in some small way, a major discovery at the end of the journey of life.

[Minimalist]

When it comes time to tell her the truth just tell her that your earlier statements were campaign promises and therefore not to be believed.  She will then learn two valuable lessons at once!

[Hammok Man]

Before my boys I had lofty ideals.

That went by the wayside once real life showed up to slap me in the face.

I think if you have a serious problem with Santa Claus, you have no idea how easy and good your life is.

My advise to anyone is to raise your children to be what is considered "Normal" in the socioeconomic group you live in. You also need to teach them to question, take nothing at face value, try and understand motivations and why people act the way they do.

I have seen the product of those who put their ideals above the well being of their children and it makes me sick.

Religious nut jobs, militant survival nut jobs, liberal nut jobs, they are all the same at the end of the day.

[mordant]

Well if anything this post proves you can't predict how young children will react to concepts like death. And that there's no One Right Answer.

Case in point: I raised my children to be fundamentalists and they became atheists before I did.

So ... to those of you predicting that the OP just made a fatal mistake, I'd say, YOU try to tell your inconsolable child that they will rot in the dirt and be eaten by worms and there are no angels. You won't last any longer than the OP did.

It'll be okay. No parent is perfect, all children are insane and the young ones all look like Winston Churchill. It's an absurd world, and those who think they have it figured out are ... absurd.