"Did you know that Jesus drowned on the cross?"
Sadly, this was not a case of my child getting the wrong end of the stick.
No.
He was able to go into graphic detail about how crucifixion kills you, including the fact that your lungs fill with fluid because you are unable to breathe properly, which causes drowning from the inside. He also explained how whipping someone with a rope whip, made with shards of bones attached, rips flesh and skin from the bones and that this is a very painful way to die.
It was the local reverend who explained the graphic horrors of crucifixion to my 5 year old during the annual Easter church service. I thought they'd be hearing a child friendly version of the Easter story, not a certificate 18 one.
I had hoped that the words would wash over him, in one ear and out the other, but Freddy, with his sponge-like thirst for knowledge, had taken in every detail of what was said. He just loves facts! He'll happily tell you about it in the same way he will tell you about magnets or the water cycle or whatever else he has just learned from Nina and the Neurons.
Even though he doesn't seem upset by what he heard, I am trying to counteract it with stories of Easter bunnies, fluffy chicks, chocolate eggs and bright yellow daffodils. After all, I don't want him thinking about executions while tucking into his Creme Eggs this year.
