My 13 year old came home asking why God lets bad things happen and honestly I didn't have a good answer. Instead of giving him a pat Christian answer I just said I wrestle with it too. He seemed relieved that I wasn't pretending to have it all figured out. Made me realize that walking the walk means being honest about doubt and questions, not just having perfect answers. Felt more real than I expected.
That's the real parenting right there - being honest instead of handing him some canned answer. My kids ask me stuff I don't have answers for all the time and I'm learning that's actually where the good conversations happen.
These conversations are the ones that actually matter, even when they shake you up. Maybe that's the real faith part - staying present with your kid while you're both figuring it out together.
Man this is heavy. I've been there with my oldest asking stuff like this and honestly I just told her the truth - that I don't have all the answers and it's okay to ask these hard questions. Sometimes just sitting with the question together is enough.
That's a tough one. My approach has been to be honest that bad things happen but we have each other and our community to help get through it. At 13 he's probably ready for real talk anyway, not just Sunday school answers.
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Sounds like you gave him something better than an answer - you gave him permission to actually question things. That's solid parenting.