Robert and I are such jokesters that I often wonder what we would be like as parents.

In the early years of our relationship, we babysat my three cousins, and I thought we did really well, particularly in high stress situations — like with fixing a head that had just smashed down onto concrete — but when it came to answering questions, we only filled their brains with lies.

Today during my drive home, I thought about how I would realistically respond  to my children’s deep life questions. Robert’s joining the conversation.

The kids at school have more LEGOS than me. How come I can’t have more LEGOS?

Robert: The kids at school have parents that are less emotionally available than we are. The less affection a parent gives their kids, the more toys the kids get.

Andrea: How does it make you feel to have less LEGOS than the other kids?

Why do people die?

Robert: Because we’re not immortal — we’re not perfect. We get old. Our bodies break down. We die. If there was no death, there’d be no happiness.

Andrea: We die because we have an expiration date. When something expires, it changes. Remember when the milk in the fridge expired? It was still milk, but it was starting to change, and eventually, it wouldn’t have been milk anymore. When we expire, we simply change.

What is God?

Robert: God is a notion created by humans to make them feel better about dying.

Andrea: That question has a lot of answers. God is different things to different people. Just know, that every answer belongs to just that one person you asked. It is special to them.