Here's My Theory

Balloons: The Child’s Introduction to Death

To a child, a balloon full of helium is one of the most fun things imaginable. It’s the only thing they can have which defies gravity. Kids get more excited over balloons than adults do over free money.

Now that the child has a balloon, one of three things will happen:

1. The balloon pops.
2. The balloon gradually deflates.
3. The balloon floats away.

If the balloon pops, it will scare the kid, but it’s so quick that it doesn’t do much more after the initial shock. If the baloon deflates, it’s even less of a big deal. What I’m talking about his option three.

A balloon floating away from a child is a traumatic experience. Imagine getting attached to something that puts a seemingly perpetual smile on your face. All you have to do is hold on to the string and it will stay with you. Now, because you haven’t learned this yet, you let go of the string. What happens next is a terrible event. The balloon slowly starts floating away to the sky. You can see the balloon floating away from you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It doesn’t matter how much you cry to your parents, they can’t help you, that balloon is gone forever.

This is really a child’s first lesson in death. The regret of not doing everything possibly to hold on, the feeling of helplessness, and the sight of it growing smaller and smaller until it is gone from sight forever. It brings about a lot of new emotions to a child.

There are plenty of other examples that are similar, such as losing a toy or stuffed animal, but to me the balloon just seems to be a very unique situation. I personally remember the first time I lost a balloon and wondered if it hit could hit an airplane and how far the sky went on. Although I also just wanted me damned balloon back.