I don’t know if I’m doing my children a service or a disservice by talking to them about death in this way, but I do know that I don’t want them to fear death. What I want is for them to recognize death as something that is natural. What I want is for them to understand the importance of life and the importance of the time that is spent with the people and things that are all around them.
Man. I'm a little jealous. I think you've stumbled on to a really good, effective, and ultimately healthy way to "explain" these things to a child. I am really happy that you happened upon the rocket ship.
When your son grows up, he may not believe in the "rocket ship" anymore, but who of us, even as adults, can really explain it better? The people we've loved and lost live on in our hearts, regardless of what we know (or more accurately, don't know) about all the rest.
This is a beautiful story, man, and I am so glad I read it.
Thanks.
Thanks for the praise and feedback. I really didn’t expect so many people to respond to this the way they have.
The more people I lose, the more I honestly feel like they remain within me, even if only a little bit. With chikdren’s Emotions being so strong, I don’t know if that would comfort them much, but I can imagine them playing alone and suddenly talking to their deceased relatives, pets, etc in a cathartic way.
So far, I’ve found it very helpful to tell children beforehand that someone or something is going to die soon (when I have known) and that it’s time to say your goodbyes and thank yous. It really leads to a good talk about the value of life, which children, I think, can begin to understand.