This is the second time our evening read aloud book has stirred this fear. But I can’t blame the middle grade book at all. How it portrays death is kid-friendly and not a central theme.
My son is transitioning from childhood into adolescence and it’s a bumpy ride. American poet Billy Collins captures this succinctly in his poem titled, “On Turning Ten.” Where once my sweet boy would be lost in a world of imagination, adventure, and creation, now he sees the shadows of a fallen world.
And my son isn’t the only one pondering death these days—so am I. Perhaps Collins should pen a poem about turning forty-one. Somehow life feels more fleeting than ever. And with the life expectancy for women in the United States at eighty, I’ve more or less lived half my life already—a sobering reality check.
Read my full article on Gospel-Centered Discipleship.
