I long ago grew accustomed to uncomfortable questions about death. It's rare that a week goes by without Alexis asking about our pup Jasmine. While it's been well over a year since she unexpectedly died, Alexis is still trying to figure it all out. Her questions have, over time, become more complicated and more worldly, a reflection of her advancing age and maturity.

I try to answer her honestly (there is no other answer for, "Why did she die?" than I DON'T KNOW--that's the simple truth of the matter). I do not dodge the questions. I figure that's what we get for naming our dog after a Disney Princess; Alexis is immersed in a world with constant reminders that, for her, there are "two Jasmines--purple Jasmine and white Jasmine" and "white Jasmine" is no longer with us.

(Note to self: Quit naming things after Disney characters.)

Anyway, I pretty much assumed that there would be a death in The Princess and the Frog. That's how Disney rolls. A movie can't sport the mark of the Mouse unless somebody bites the big one. As we sat watching the movie with Alexis, a movie she had been waiting MONTHS to see, I thought we were home free when Tiana's dad died. It was sort of a passing moment, not really a major part of the plot. No questions, no fuss, no muss. (More like the Aladdin Has No Mommy kind of dead and less like the Lion King Buh-Bye Daddy of death.)

In fact, I really liked the movie at that point (and still do, but . . .). The main theme is that you can wish on the evening star all you want, but only hard work will make your dreams come true. Forget the usual reliance on good looks or standing around waiting for Prince Charming to come along to make everything all right. Finally! My kind of Disney Princess movie!

And then the damn lightening bug got squished. Frickin' frackin' Disney and their need to kill off characters led to a chorus of kids asking, "Why did he do that?" as they watched the villain murder a loved character. All through the theater you could hear parents struggling to answer the questions or change the subject.

Just when it seemed that it was going to be one of those, "Oh, yeah, he died but we're going to just move on" kind of moments, the damn lightening bug showed back up and then finished off his little dying routine on screen.

Thanks, Disney! That was a fantastic little moment right there.

That fantastic little moment was made better by the funeral that followed.

The good news is that the squished bug ended up going where he was meant to be, so to speak.

So, good on Disney for giving us a talking point to talk about death and respect and funerals and heaven and all that jazz, but WHY DIDN'T THEY WARN ME? Why can't Disney flicks come with some sort of rating about whether or not a movie is going to make my kid question the meaning of life? Kind of like, "Rated E for This One Will be Easy to Explain" to "Rated F for You Are So Effed if You Think You Can Just Blow this One Off."

I just wish Disney would figure out that the primary audience for princess flicks is little girls who like sparkles, shiny things, pretty dresses, and who ask way too many questions.