Talking to your children about death
By Swtrose
@Swtrose (3385)
Canada
June 6, 2007 12:41am CST
Conversations with kids about death can be extremely difficult. My daughter was only two when we came home from the hospital without her baby sister. She was three when we took her to the cemetery. We took my son to the cemetery when he was young too. My son was seven and my daughter 11 when my mom died who was like a second mom to my children. Finding the right words to describe death to a young child can be hard. How do you talk to your children about death? I think children need to understand death is part of life and it is not the end for death does not take away memories.
5 people like this
2 responses
@dentidle (293)
• Switzerland
7 Jun 07
My 4 yr old son kisses my father's photo often, but until a few weeks back, he dint ask me where he was? My father passed away years before my son was born. One fine day after kissing his photo he asked me why he dint come home. I told him that he has gone to Jesus and He has decided to stay with Jesus and will never come back, Seeing the disappointment in his face, i added Your grandpa is there with Jesus to pray for your well being. He is convinced a bit, but still confused.
@tina12679 (1126)
• United States
7 Jun 07
this is something that has been comeing up alot lately. my children are asking about it. We passed a cemetary the other day and my 6 year old wanted to know what all the bigg roks were doing and why did they have writing on them, not really sure what to say i tried to explain that, that was where they put people after they have passed away and then i had to explain that and then there were just so many more questions that i was tryin to wxplain in terms that my 6 year old and 4 year old could understand. it was hard, they know that both my father and my husbands are no longer with us but in a better place where where they are always watching over us and that just because they are not here and we cant see them does not mean that they do not love us and that we cannot love them, then from time to time they will say we miss our grandpa and want to see him, they acaully never met him but have seen lots of pictures. My husband even still has his fathers ashes, and thay are on a shelf along with his medals from Veitnam and his flag in our living room so that was another explaination that we had to come up with tho give them how their grandpa was able to fit into the urn. Is there an easy way to expain? am i myself doing it the right way? are questions i ask myself all the time after talking about it with them.
