Kintropy In Action

Janette purchased an infant doll for Gabriel to play with before Hannah was born.  She helped him understand it was a girl-doll, just like his sister would be, and encouraged him to play with her and take care of her.  In those early days, Gabriel had a few nights' intense focus on the infant doll:  feeding her, changing her (actually, asking us to change her), and hauling her around the house.  And then the doll went back to the toy box from whence it came.

Sister came.  As part of our in-and-out-of-the-hospital medical dance, Gabriel headed to preschool.  There he met a girl who owned a cat.  One day, Gabriel pulled his pretend sister out of the toy bin and dubbed her "Coco" after his friend's cat. 

Thus, Coco was born.  

Coco has had a varied life since.  She has re-emerged at different times with different roles.  Gabriel introduced her to Hannah (not interested).   A few years later, Coco had a brief, but exciting life as what Gabriel loudly proclaimed as "Suuuuper-baby!"  And then she returned to the bin.  And waited.

This week, Gabriel re-unearthed Coco.  Coco, the practice baby sister named after a cat, the former superhero, has gone through additional changes.  Coco, for starters, is now a baby brother.  Coco also has an interesting lineage.

"Where did your little brother, Coco, come from?" I asked a few nights ago.  We were all piled into the car, seeking a bad-for-us-but-quick fast food dinner.  Janette sat beside me, motioning, NO, don't start.

"Um, God gave her to our family!" Gabriel proclaimed.  Hannah, sitting beside Gabriel, seemed unphased by this extraordinary news.

Janette shook her head.  She knew I couldn't leave that alone.  Gabriel has been poking at God for about a year, exploring.  We've encouraged him to think and feel his way through, helping him search for answers to his own questions on the subject.

"How'd He do that?" I asked.  A groan erupted from the seat beside me.

"Coco came down from the sky!" Gabriel said.

Gabriel and I continued our conversation, exploring the what-ifs of a special-delivery baby like Coco.  I muttered what a hard life a messiah might have, and in an unusual recognition that I was crossing The Line (with some help from Janette beside me), I turned the convesation in a different direction. 

We drove on, completed our fast food order, and headed home. 

It is interesting to watch Gabriel explore the Big Issues:  where do we come from, what will happen to us when we die, etc..  We step in to help him explore (sometimes with humour - see above), but I really do want to encourage that exploration:  not force the stamp of my own beliefs on him.  I recognize that's maybe a lot for an almost seven-year-old to digest, but Gabriel seems to be doing fine with that room-to-think and room-to-invent.

I want the same for Hannah.  She, too, is exploring her world.  Although she sometimes (not as often these days) lacks the words or the expressions, I imagine she has some similar questions beginning to form.  And her perspective on life, death, God, and all of it may be entirely different than Gabriel's.  As Hannah's questions emerge, we'll help her walk through them, too.

In the meantime, Gabriel's pretend little baby brother, Coco, is thriving with the attention.  Gabriel has learned to change Coco's diaper, and Gabriel believes this will train him to help change Hannah's.  Interesting after all these years that Coco's original purpose is, strangely, still intact.

-- Dad