Mom and Dad were trying to console Susie.
Mom and Dad were trying to console Susie, whose dog, Skipper, had recently died. “You know,” Mom said, “it’s not so bad. Skipper’s probably up in Heaven right now, having a grand old time with God.”
Susie stopped crying and asked, “What would God want with a dead dog?”
An 8-year-old wrote the following about grandparents:
Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own.
They like other people’s. A grandfather is a man and a grandmother is a lady! Grandparents don’t have to do anything except be there when we come to see them… They are so old they shouldn’t play hard or run.
It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also why we shouldn’t step on “cracks.”
They don’t say, “Hurry up.”
Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.
They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out. Grandparents don’t have to be smart.
They have to answer questions like “Why isn’t God married?” and “How come dogs chase cats?”
When they read to us, they don’t skip. They don’t mind if we ask for the same story over again. Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don’t have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us.
They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time and kiss us even when we’ve acted bad. GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS, BUT I DONT GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!
Its funny when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame the dog. Send this to other grandparents, almost grandparents, or heck, send it to everyone! It will make their day.
When Susie’s beloved dog Skipper dies, her parents attempt to comfort her with a familiar reassurance: that the dog is now in Heaven, happily spending time with God. Their intention is tender and protective, meant to soften the sharp edges of grief with a comforting image. Yet Susie’s response cuts through the sentiment with startling innocence: “What would God want with a dead dog?” The humor arises not from cruelty but from pure, literal childhood logic. Where adults rely on metaphor and spiritual comfort, Susie applies practical reasoning. Her question reflects how children process loss differently—directly, honestly, and without the filters adults use to make pain more bearable. The exchange highlights both the sweetness and the complexity of explaining death to a child, where comfort and confusion can exist side by side.
The narrative then shifts to a child’s written description of grandparents, offering a charming and unintentionally humorous portrait of aging through young eyes. Grandparents, the child explains, are simply a lady and a man who have no little children of their own, so they enjoy other people’s instead. The simplicity of this definition reflects a child’s ability to categorize the world in straightforward, endearing ways. Grandparents are described as people who do not rush, who move slowly enough to notice caterpillars and pretty leaves, and who never say “Hurry up.” In this perspective, aging is not about decline but about patience and presence. The humor surfaces gently in observations about glasses, removable teeth, and “funny underwear,” yet beneath the laughter lies admiration and affection.
What makes the child’s description so powerful is its focus on availability. Grandparents, in this view, exist primarily to “be there.” They do not need to be exceptionally smart or physically active; their greatest value lies in attention and time. They drive grandchildren to the shops, give them money for treats, and reread stories without skipping pages. The child notices how grandparents answer difficult questions without dismissal—questions about God, animals, and the mysteries of life. This portrayal suggests that wisdom is not measured by speed or productivity but by willingness to engage, to listen, and to slow down. The child’s voice captures a truth adults often overlook: children treasure those who match their pace rather than rush them forward.
Humor continues to weave through the description in playful exaggerations. Grandmothers are “fat but not too fat to tie your shoes,” and grandparents make funny noises when bending over, sometimes blaming the dog. These lighthearted remarks soften the reality of aging by presenting it through affectionate teasing. Rather than mocking, the child celebrates the quirks that make grandparents distinct. There is no embarrassment in these observations—only acceptance. The child views physical changes not as flaws but as part of the charming package that defines older loved ones. In doing so, the narrative subtly reframes aging as something natural and even amusing, rather than something to be feared.
At its heart, the combined stories reveal how children approach life’s biggest themes—death, aging, faith, and family—with clarity unclouded by adult complication. Susie questions Heaven with straightforward curiosity. The child writer praises grandparents for their consistency and love rather than their accomplishments. Both pieces highlight the gap between adult explanations and childhood perception. Adults tend to cushion, reinterpret, and philosophize. Children ask simple questions and draw simple conclusions. Yet within that simplicity lies profound insight. The child’s admiration for a grandfather as “the smartest man on earth” stems not from credentials but from shared moments and lessons patiently taught.
Ultimately, these stories remind us that comfort and connection are rooted less in grand speeches and more in presence. Parents attempt to ease grief with spiritual imagery, but a child seeks tangible understanding. Grandparents may move slowly and wear glasses, but in the eyes of a child, they are treasures of time, patience, and unconditional affection. Humor threads through both narratives, not to diminish serious themes, but to make them accessible and warm. Through candid questions and charming descriptions, the child’s perspective reveals a deeper truth: love is measured in attention, grief is processed through curiosity, and the people who matter most are those who slow down enough to walk beside us.
