So, I’m Jewish now, but I was raised a southern Christian. The last vestiges of that culture are in speech - mainly bless your heart, but sometimes others.
Tonight, as I could see my Jewish 7 year old daughter being internally tempted to do something that would cause her harm. I quickly said (but not for the first time) “Don’t, babe, that’s the devil talking.”
Her, dissuaded but confused: “What?”
Me: “Sorry, devils are something Christians believe in. We don’t believe they’re real.”
Her: “But they are real.”
Now, this was alarming, but not too alarming - my daughter is still at that age where fantasy sometimes blends with reality (’are you really sure unicorns are’t real?’), and she has Christian friends. So I reiterated, “No, honey- Christians believe in, but Jews don’t.”
“No, Mom, listen, they’re real. They’re an animal. They live in Tasmania. I saw it on Wild Kratts.”
Y’all.
My 7 year old Jewish baby thought that when I said “That’s the devil talkin” that I meant there was a Tasmanian Devil that whispers in your brain to try and get you to ruin your life.
Real life anecdotes
S is a bit older now, but…I’m still laughing about this. And yes, they still don’t know what the Christian devil is.
