The other evening, when I was going to sleep, my son asked me this…

Son: Mom? Do you ever wonder what happens when you die?

Me: (one eye opening; oh shit!) Well, I never thought about it.

Son: Well, hundreds of years ago there were people, that we were related to… do you ever think about them?

Me: (two eyes open; not now) Nope.

Son: So who will think about us when we die?

Me: (and he went there; think quick) Well, I mean, I do think of them and how they made it possible for us to be here today.

Son: So basically, in hundreds of years from now, is anybody going to think about us? Are they even going to know us?

Me: (should I make a therapist appointment for him tomorrow?) Well, of course they’re going to know us because by the time you’re old, there will be cures for everything and you could live forever.

Son: So when they find a cure, could they bring back great poppop and all our other dead family?

Me: (yes, I’ll call Dr. Alice tomorrow) I think once you’re dead, you’re dead so….

Son: So then where do you go? What if when you die you can’t talk or move, but you’re really alive? And then nobody would know it and then you’d be buried.

Me: (on second thought, this calls for Dr. Li) I don’t know- what’s with all the questions of death lately?

Son: I’m just wondering… what if I die and I’m not old? You once said not everybody dies when they’re old…

Me: (Remind me to check my Express Scripts) You’re going to live a long and healthy life- and as long as I am around, I will protect you.

Son: So you’re saying….

Me: We’re all gonna die; not sure what happens when you do and by the time that happens, you won’t care.

Honestly, between all of the anxiety in this house, I’m going to die from one of the many side effects my own pills cause, just to mother these kids.