I Tried

We have the much ballyhooed (what does that mean exactly anyway?) display here in town, Bodies Revealed. It's actual bodies in various stages of display. We saw something similar at the museum in Chicago several years ago. Anyway it's been very controversial here. Jason and I both really want to go. My sister, not so much. She can't figure out why people would want to see something like that. If it was a TMZ exhibit, she would so be there! :-) A\

Anyway we were talking about it and Kori was interested. She thinks it looks "cool". There was a big section about it in our local paper last week and she thought it might be something she'd be interested in seeing. It shows you the effects of smoking and your lungs, how being obese effects you etc.

Anyway we were talking in the kitchen Sunday night about it. She had lunch with her friend Cecilia and Cecilia's mom Patty, (a teacher at Kori's school) on Friday. Anyway they were talking about wanting to go and Kori said she did too. Well Sunday night she asked me if the bodies were "real" bodies or "fake real bodies". I told her they were real and continued with my task of cutting up my strawberries for Strawberry Shortcake.

Insert image of me opening BIG CAN OF WORMS here!

She wanted to know how the "museum people" got the bodies. So I told her about when you die you can donate your body to science. "Huh? Ewwwww. Hope we never get one in my science at school" my sweet little red-headed daughter responds. I assure her that's not what I meant. I've always told her that when you die your soul leaves your body and goes on to Heaven. Your body is just a shell then. She "gets it" but not really. She knows Aunt Margaret is buried at the cemetery but she's not "there".

Anyhow, I tell her how people can donate their bodies to a lab so that they can figure things out that might help other people that are still living. (At this point I am hoping she'll just get bored and move on to another topic...no such luck.) I also tell her that when you die you can donate your organs so that other people can have them because sometimes things break. This completely blew her mind? "You mean someone could have YOUR stomach???" (Said in tone of disbelief!!!) (Wait a minute I think to my self, this flabby, stretch marked, stretched to oblivion, lumpy, scarred mess that I call a "stomach" was a vessel for my four beautiful daughters -- who wouldn't want it?) Oh wait, she's not specifically talking about MY stomach, just stomachs in general. I then tell her no, organs, like your heart, liver etc.

The best way I can think to describe it went along the lines of her sitting at lunch with a huge plate of pizza. Her friend is sitting next to her and has no lunch. She eats some of the pizza but is full and is going to throw it away, even though her friend next to her could really use it, since she doesn't need it anymore. THAT she understood. I explained the same thing. If your going to be dead, and someone needs your heart, liver etc. so they can keep living, it's a wonderful gift to give. (She assures me at this point, toys or even clothes are great gifts). **Sigh**

I also tell her that you can donate blood too and that's really important. "WHAT???" She shrieks. She thought they take ALL your blood so that you die. I assure her that's not the case. Then she asks me if I give blood. I then tell her I can't due to having had cancer in the past. That bums her out because he is certain I have "great blood now". So sweet!

Anyway we talk some more and she finally decides that organ donating sounds alright, the bodies exhibit still sounds cool. She is thankful she won't have a body at her school for science. She also tells me that she thinks she'd prefer to not give her blood away, "I'll just let the birds drink it". Whoa! Not sure what kinds of birds she has in mind, but I hope I never run into them.

During this whole conversation, Jason pops in the kitchen on his way to the Academy to work out. He hears the topic and promptly leaves. Thanks dear!

All in all, I think I did pretty good.

Being a mom is tough. Rewarding sure, tough indeed!