It's one of the most difficult discussions you'll
have with your kids: death, dying, and grief. How
should parents address these topics? Should mothers
and fathers talk openly, or should they speak more vaguely about
death and dying? Giyen
Kim from Bacon Is My Enemy asks, "How do you broach
the topic of death with your children?"
How did you talk to your kids about death? Does religion play
a big factor in your discussions? Do you talk about the
afterlife? And how does your children react to the
subject? You can read our Tips on
Talking to Your Kids About Death. You can also join the
Momversation by commenting in our community:
How Do You Talk to Your Kids About Death?
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Comments 1-3 of 3
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Posted by Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:14am PST
Report AbuseMy sister died almost 5 years ago. My oldest son understood about her cancer and taking her off of life support. My youngest was only 2 when it happened, and still doesn't quite understand. Our oldest has always been beyond his years and able to grasp things, understand, and accept them. Our youngest is very sensitive and emotional, so, he will take some time.
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Posted by Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:29am PST
Report AbuseAll 3 of my kids have approached the death subject in different ways. When Kid1 was around 3 years old she actually had a bit of an obsession with the physical aspects of death. We let her indulge her curiosity on an age appropriate level (explaining that the body shuts down and the tissues return to earth, are burned to ash, or the organs given to living people to help them live better, healthier lives). We took that opportunity to teach her our spiritual beliefs on the subject as well. A while later, after a cat of ours was hit by a car and the kids .saw her poor dead body with no life left in it, my younger two were more interested in figuring out how your body stays here but the invisible part that makes you,"you", doesn't. There is a book called "The Next Place" and I can't remember the author, but it deals with death and the afterlife in a very non-religious fashion. I found it to be a good start in trying to explain the eternital existence of the spirit. Some die-hard (no pun inteded hehe) religious folks find the book to be objectionable because it doesn't mention God, however it does open up communication on the subject and you can interject your own religious beliefs into the discussion.
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Comments 1-3 of 3
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