Young Ladrinka: Â Mom, what do you think? Is God Jesus’ dad or is Joseph?
Marinka: God, I guess.
Young Ladrinka: So Joseph is like his step-father?
Marinka: No, more like-
Young Ladrinka: Is Jesus adopted?
Marinka: Well, not really-
Young Ladrinka: But if God is his father and Joseph raised him, doesn’t that mean he’s adopted by Joseph?
Marinka: It’s a little more complicated than that.
Young Ladrinka: Why?
Marinka: I’m not exactly sure. Â But things were different back then when..God..had..children..
Young Ladrinka: GOD HAS OTHER CHILDREN?
Marinka: I think, and don’t quote me on this, but I think that we are all God’s children.
Young Ladrinka: So Dad isn’t my dad?
Marinka: Â Yes, of course he’s your dad.
Young Ladrinka: Like biological or adopted?
Marinka: Â I don’t know.
Young Ladrinka: YOU DON’T KNOW?
Marinka: I’m not a biblical scholar. I’m Jewish. Â Very Jewish.
Young Ladrinka: I have a feeling other moms know.
Marinka: They are probably less Jewish than I am.
Young Ladrinka: Hey, what’s this on my leg?
Marinka: It looks like a scratch.
Young Ladrinka: It looks like that scar that Toby has on his stomach from when he had his appendix out.
Marinka: That’s not an appendectomy scar on your leg.
Young Ladrinka: Are you sure?
Marinka: I’m positive. Â 100%. Â Some things I do know.
One year ago ...
- My Baby! - 2011
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: byrnealaina
April 11, 2012 at 8:26 pm
And besides the Joseph-Jesus-God fiasco, what is with the talking snake? Religion is so confusing.
I have found that in situations like this, the best explanation, which just happens to be the explanation which the Catholic Church has used successfully for lo these many years, is to say “Ah yes. That’s one of the great Mysteries.” And having a wise and knowing expression to go with it is helpful.
Twitter: sellabitmum
April 12, 2012 at 7:14 am
Well at least he didn’t ask who was in the room when Mary got pregnant. I’ve fielded that one before.
God is the father of Jesus, but he is the creator of Joseph’s ancestor Adam. As to how God fathered Jesus, being incorporal and that, I have no clue. I did not pay that much attention during Bible study.
Twitter: hokgardner
April 12, 2012 at 9:25 am
I had a similar conversation with Campbell before his preschool’s christmas pageant. He was playing Joseph and had no idea who he was. I said “He’s Jesus’s dad, except not really. I guess God was his dad. But Jesus grew up with Joseph, so foster father, maybe?” I spluttered to a stop and the preschool teacher said, “He was Jesus’s earthly father.”
Oh.
Twitter: annsrants
April 12, 2012 at 9:54 am
“I wasn’t raised with Jesus (Christmas, Easter, Republicans)” is my favorite crutch.
hilarious. i think it was partly these kinds of conversations that drove my to unitarian universalism. we have no answers for anything!
His sister was very satisfied when she learned that Jesus could be my cousin, twice removed.
Love this conversation. Just be glad that it didn’t lead to the (in our home) inevitable conversation about Jesus having scars, or an appendectomy or whether or not he went to the bathroom. Well, yeah, but wouldn’t you rather talk about how much he loved us than if he pooped or not? Oh, silly Mommy.
Twitter: marta28
April 12, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Haha. love this. Very wise questions. Very wise. But here’s the real question can virgins really get pregnant?
Twitter: Mamabirddiaries
April 12, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Ladrinka is my favorite. I mean, after Nicki.
other moms don’t really know either… i must say i think joseph as a very good man to put up with such an awkward situation.
I was going to say – wait, aren’t you Jewish? Not that you can’t know these things, but … the ending was so funny.