Mom Talk

I suffered a miscarriage a few months ago and since then, my daughter has been asking a lot of questions about death. She knew I was pregnant (we had seen the heartbeat) so we had to tell her that the baby died. She took it pretty hard. I’ve done some research about how to answer questions about death for little kids. I thought I would share some of what I’ve learned here. First, most of the time, when kids ask about YOUR death, they’re concerned that if you die, there will be no one to take care of them. Assure them that most people don’t die until they’re very old and that you intend to live for a long time. Also let them know that if you die sooner than you think you will, Gramma or Aunt Sue will take care of them and they won’t be alone. This goes a long way toward reassurance. Second, NEVER refer to dying as being “asleep”. This can cause all kinds of problems with fear. Fear of going to sleep, fear of you going to sleep, etc. Last, don’t just blow them off when they ask you questions. This makes it seem like death is something you’re afraid to talk about. The more mystery there is, the scarier it will seem to them. As always, as I learn more, I will share more!

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