My daughter and I started talking about Neil Armstrong since they are talking about in school. From that conversation, it wen to talking about people dying. She is 6 and not something she has really had to deal with on a personal level yet, other than her frog in the aquarium a couple of weeks ago. i told her that nothing lives forever and it's a part of life.
I know there are people out there that don't necessarily have religous beliefs about Heaven, etc. But, she and I started to have a bit more of a serious conversation about it. Unfortunately for her, he dad is quite a bit older than me. He is 69 and had been diagnosed with cancer a few years back, so its a subject i try to talk to her about so that when the time does come it's something that we have discussed and hopefully be at least more comforted by the fact that daddy will be with Jesus and God in Heaven and that at some point when she finally enters heaven that she will see him again.
Has anyone else ever talked to their kids about this?
I haven't discussed Heaven and God with my children, as it isn't a personal belief of mine. I have talked to them about death though (as we have had several deaths in the family over the last few years). I have talked about it from a non-religious standpoint and have also discussed what I personally believe happens after death.
I don't believe in heaven and frankly I think it could be dangerous to promise a child who will lose a parent that when they die they will get to see that parent again.
We have discussed death quite a bit. We've had some losses in the family. When we did and the kids were little I got books from the church or public library on loss.
I can't say that we actually "discussed" human death with her because there was never any human deaths un the family until she got older. Her guinea pig passed and we had our Max put down but she didn't go with me for that.
Being Non-Christians there was no discussion of going to "Heaven" and when she asked about death in general I would tell her that the body would cease but the spirit (soul) would live on continuaing to look after those left behind.
Yeah I believe it's important to talk with your kids about death. I tell my Jenna all the time when you die you will go upstairs with all the Angels and when we die hopefully we will get to be together with all people we knew who have already passed on. At least I hope it's gonna go down like that cause I would sure love to see them all again when I get there :)
That's what I like to believe also. And, it give my daughter a sense of security. I know there are peopel that don't share in the same beliefs that I do, and I am okay with that. I just don't want her scared when something does finally happen to her daddy. We do have our religous beliefs, and she goes to Sunday School (when i can get her there) and it has helped in some of the conversations we have had on this topic. When it came up once before, I asked her what she believed happens, and if it makes her feel good, than I am all for it. Ulitmately in the end, who on this earth knows beyond a doubt what happnes when you die.
Quoting snuggiewoogie:Yeah I believe it's important to talk with your kids about death. I tell my Jenna all the time when you die you will go upstairs with all the Angels and when we die hopefully we will get to be together with all people we knew who have already passed on. At least I hope it's gonna go down like that cause I would sure love to see them all again when I get there :)
kind of...my 4 year old was looking at a old familty pic of me my dh and himself and my 2nd son wasn;t born yet so he asked where he was.
I said mama and dada was making his body mama's belly and God had your spirit with him above heaven and then he gave me your spirit by sending it down from heaven into my belly.
All the time.
My children are the source of my strength, frustration, happiness, insanity, sanity, irritability. They are the definition of unconditional love.
I have to ask, if you don't believe in Heaven ... why would you get books from a church to help explain death to your child? That seems like a contridiction to me. Explaining to a child the meaning of going to Heaven when you die & seeing those you love again is, in a Christian's mind, a good thing; it's hope and something to look forward to. But also, not everyone goes to Heaven, so there is where you have to be careful; you don't tell kids everyone is going to Heaven. You can explain death without saying someone is going to Heaven.
Quoting Bleacheddecay:
I don't believe in heaven and frankly I think it could be dangerous to promise a child who will lose a parent that when they die they will get to see that parent again.
We have discussed death quite a bit. We've had some losses in the family. When we did and the kids were little I got books from the church or public library on loss.
My son was just a month short of 10 when my mother died, but before she did we (my 1st dh & I), sat down & talked to him, although I talked to him more and he & I talked on our own later. I explained to him about death & Heaven and answered all his questions. We are Christians and were regulars in church, my dh's father was a minister, so our son was raised in the church. It really helped him to have an understanding when my mother did pass away. He was extremely close to her and he had seen all the pain she had been going through (she had brain cancer), so it helped him to know she was finally at peace and no longer in pain. My son, at that age, also knew there was both a Heaven and a hell and he knew who went where. I didn't have to tell him she was going to Heaven. Explaining death to a child isn't always easy, but you just have to try and keep it on their level.
movies
- Kimmer331
on Aug. 30, 2012 at 2:20 AM