Frustration 2 (Pain and Suffering for Lent)
March 06th, 2026 by G.
Frustration–there is a thing that needs doing and you just can’t do it. Others can–but you can’t. Whatever that magic spark of skill is, you don’t have it. And so it goes undone.
County Cat Lady
March 6, 2026
My 4 year old son had a resurgence of his “why” phase recently. Some toy broke or got lost and he asked me to fix/find it. When I said I couldn’t, we went through the chain of why questions until I had no more answers and said somewhat sarcastically, “well dear because it’s a fallen world.” He became actually curious, so I did my best to explain it. We used to live where everything was fair with Heavenly Father but we had to come here where things are not fair. Sometimes things are broken and can’t be fixed and people get sick and we lose things that we’ll never find again and people die, but if we are faithful Jesus will make it all right again after we die. He will wipe all the tears from our eyes and we’ll get the things we lost back etc…
Fast forward a few months and he has lost his “air beed” in the couch’s unreachable void (this is a air soft gun pellet that he found at the park with his friend and for some reason brings him immense joy when he finds it around the house occasionally).
When I finally convinced him I really would not tear apart our couch to get the air beed, he says between his sobs, “mom! Will Heavenly Father give me back my air beed when I die?”
“Maybe? If you still want it when you die, I bet Heavenly Father could help you with that.”
“Mom!! I need to die so Heavenly Father will give me back my air bead!!”
I had the hardest time not giggling! I probably enjoy these moments as a parent a little too much. Your pain and suffering for lent installments reminded me of this story. Please add to the list the faulty communication of doctrinal concepts to 4 year olds which makes them want to die. Woops!