1) Marriage and 2) Death.
Well, obviously I wasn't trying to teach her the hard facts before she even turned three.
We were watching a Taiwanese variety show and so happened that the episode was all about celebrity weddings. When my girl saw the brides marching down the aisle in beautiful wedding gowns, this was what followed.
Angel: 妈咪, 她们在做什么?
(Mummy, what are they doing?)
Me: 她们要结婚了, darling.
(They are getting married, darling.)
Angel: *scratches head* 什么是结婚?
(What is getting married?)
Me: 当两个人很喜欢彼此, 他们就结婚, 像爸爸和妈妈一样, 懂吗?
(When two people like each other, they get married, just like Daddy and Mummy, you understand?)
Angel: 喔, 我也要结婚!
(Orh, I also want to get married.)
Me: *big gasp* 啊, 不可以随便结婚的, 要找到对的人才可以.
(Cannot anyhow get married! First, you have to find the one right person then you can get married.)
Angel: *excitedly* 我要结婚了! 我要结婚了!
(I'm getting married! I'm getting married!)
Me: 好啦, 那你要跟谁结婚?
(Fine. Who are you going to marry?)
Angel: 我要跟你结婚, 妈咪!
(I'm going to marry you, Mummy.)
Although I wasn't expecting her to say Zac Efron, I also didn't think that she would say this too. I guess that accounted for why my heart melted when I heard it.
**********
Then there was a scene when a bride was crying profusely as she read her vows because she had lost her dad earlier on.
When Angel saw her crying, she started to question me why that big sister was in tears.
Angel: 为什么这个姐姐在哭?
(Mummy, why is the big sister crying?)
Me: 因为她的爸爸不在了, 他死了. 姐姐很难过因为没有爸爸陪她一起庆祝.
(That's because her Daddy passed away. You know, died. And he's not here to share in her joy.)
Angel: 呵, 那她的爸爸去了哪里?
(Huh, so where did he go?)
Me: 人死了就到天上去了, 去一个叫天堂的地方.
(He's in a faraway place, up in the skies in a place called heaven.)
Angel: 他几时会回来?
(When is he coming back?)
Me: 他不会回来了, 人死了就回不来了. 可是, 他们会永远住在我们的心里, 懂吗?
*places my hand on her heart*
(No, darling. He's never coming back. When people die, they can't come back anymore. But they will live in our hearts forever.)
Somehow, I was starting to feel that this conversation was getting a little too profound for her to comprehend. When she fell silent for more than a few seconds, I was even more sure that she must be feeling bewildered.
All of a sudden, she pulled me close to her and gave me the tightest, sweetest hug ever. With a forlorn look on her face, she looked up and said "Mummy, you won't die, right?"
I could only reply with tears in my eyes "Yes I will, darling. But not so soon, I promise. Mummy will be here with you for a long, long time."
**********
The whole night, I was thinking of what she said and did. I couldn't be certain if she really understood the concepts, but she sure amazed me with her words and reactions. C'mon, she's not even three yet. I must be a good explainer or what.
One thing I'm sure of, I'm never going to stop loving this girl. Not even for one second.
And yes, for the record, I wish to be present on her wedding day and for her, I'm jolly well going to live.
