Having a conversation about death and electrical sockets with your 3 year old is not one you ever expect to have, generally you expect to talk about how they are dangerous, but that is exactly just what happened this afternoon.

Grace (pointing to electrical outlet: mommy what's that?
Me: that's an electrical outlet, and you should never, ever touch one. You could be very badly hurt and need to go to the hospital, or even die.
Grace: and go to heaven?
Me: yea and go to heaven
Grace: like Grandpa did?
Me: yea like Grandpa.
Grace: Grandpa can never come back again, isn't that right mommy?
Me: I know baby
Grace: I don't want to die and go to heaven and never come back
Me: I don't want you to either, so never touch those.

And that was how I knew my daughter had a better understanding about death and heaven than I ever thought or realized.

She broke my heart with those simple words of "I don't want to die and go to heaven and never come back." It also broke my heart to realize that she understood death more than most 8 year olds, maybe even most 10 year olds.

My 3 year old has experienced the death of her great grandfather when she was 15 months old, and then her grandfather when she was just 3 and a half, she has also said goodbye to a cat she had her whole life and a fish. And while I know she doesn't really, truly remember her great grandfather, she does remember who he is when she sees his pictures.

She even still asks about our cat Bear all the time.

She talks about how she misses her grandfather a lot. She even still talks about how he can't come home anymore.