Wear your bike helmet, or you could end up behind the library...

My husband had off today, thank you veterans!, and we thought it would be fun to take the boys to the library!  Guess what, the library is closed, of course.  Still, they have an after hours drop off, so we pulled around back, and dropped our books in the slot.  My husband had to respond to a work email (I know, I said he was off... it is what it is), so he parked after we dropped the books off.  As he was responding to the email, my 4 year old was observing the graveyard behind the library.  Of course, he had all sorts of questions.  First off "Mommy, what are those rocks?"  So I explained to him that they marked where people who had died were.  I explained how when people die, some have chosen to be buried in the ground in a box.  So he wanted to know how they died.  So, I ran down the good ol' disease, injury, natural causes... so then it was back to what the "rocks" were, and how the dead people go there, "so you die and they just carry you here and put you in the dirt?"  Sure, that's how it happens.  Close enough.

Him Mommy, why is there a big rock there with little rocks around it?

Me Well, that is a family plot.  The big rock has the family name on it, and the little ones say who is there from that family.  Sometimes families buy spaces in the dirt for the whole family.

Husband *is now looking at me, smirking.... he knows I just dug my hole deeper... no pun intended*

Him So people buy these?  That's weird.  Why do families die?

Me Well, it's not like they just die all at once.  The save spaces for each other.  *how is this getting worse, harder to explain, and sounding more like people headed to the movies than the great beyond?*

Him So you get sick, or hurt, or old, then they throw you in the dirt behind the library?

Me More or less, so who wants a happy meal!?

Him Yes!  Me!  I do!  *instantly forgets about the dead people behind the library*

We managed to make it all the way home without any further talk of dead people.  Of course, my kids didn't take long before ignoring me when I'd tell them to be careful, they were going to get hurt, etc... so I asked why they thought it was soooooooooo funny when I told them "No!" and that they'd hurt themselves?  And my oldest told me it was because that was funny, and me saying no is hilarious.  My mother-of-the year response?

"Well, you won't think it's hilarious when you don't listen to me and you get hurt and they have to throw you in the dirt behind the library."

Winner winner, chicken dinner.