Every so often your child hits you with one of those profound questions that takes you aback and makes you think. My little girl did that to me the other day. We were watching her brother’s soccer practice and she noticed Coach Mark has prosthetic legs. “What’s wrong with his legs mommy?” she asked. I explained that he was born that way, and the doctors made special legs for him, and that he can do everything anyone else can do – including play soccer really well.
She sat and thought for awhile and asked with all the innocence of a five-year-old, “why would God do that? Why would he make a baby without any legs?”
The empathy – and sense of injustice – in her voice was very touching. I wanted to tell her that life is just not fair, sometimes there doesn’t seem to be a reason for all kinds of life’s cruelties.
But as I looked into her face, I decided to take a different tack. I explained God makes people special sometimes to show that even though we may be different, we are capable of achieving whatever we want if we try hard enough. This response made her smile and seemed to satisfy her. And it taught me something too. As adults, we tend to be cynical sometimes. But if we stop and think about things the way we might explain them to a five year old, it puts the world in a much better perspective.
Until next time,
Mindy Basara
Mindy Basara's Blog 
A++++ answer Mindy and what a great lesson for all of us to learn! Your children are lucky to have such a wonderful mommy! 🙂
That was a very eloquent response! When you know your children you tend to know from their perspective why they are asking the question and how to tailor your answers. I am really impressed that at her age, she could understand and relate to your answer to have satisfied her curiosity. Nice job, Mom!
Cindy and Shelley – thanks so much for your kind replies!