You are going to die Mommy.

I have had the death conversation before. I have been told I am going to die. It seems somehow when they are around four kids decide that people die when they are a hundred years old. It freaks them out.

Ankit had reached this conclusion and discussed it during a car ride. People die at a hundred, he told me. I said “Ok”. He was not amused at my dismissive reply and adamantly said – “They die Mummy” I still said “OK”. “You will die Mummy, your mom and dad too”, he said. Then I realized how serious he was about it. He wanted me to know how bad it was to him.

He was the scientific one so we decided he’d grow up and research how to stop death. It kinda stopped him freaking out but he did improve his math skills – he’d ask people their age and then tell them how many years before they died unless he found a way to save them. We kept him away from old folks.

Ashvin bought this topic up yesterday in the car.

“Mummy, do people die when they are a 100,” he asked

I had heard this before so I was a little nicer – “Some people do but not everyone”

“But everyone dies right?” was the reply.

“Yes baby” I tried being nice.

“You are going to die Mommy”

“Yes baby” I did not like it but I had heard it before.

“I don’t want to die”

I was quiet as I thought of how to spin it to this one.

As chirpy and positive as he is he quickly replied “I will only celebrate my birthday till I am twenty. No more birthdays after that.”

He does not know the legal drinking age, I am sure he will change it to 21 soon and hopefully by then his older brother would have found a way to stop death.

And as for me - I am going to be 28 for a few more years, so I think I'll be ok.