What to say to my DD2 almost 5

[CeciC]

My Dad past away nearly two years ago. He was diagnosed with cancer just before Christmas '07 and died March '08. I am Spanish and even thought I live in London, all my family lives in Spain. We visited my parents just 3 weeks before my Dad died, and when he died, I told my DD1 the truth, but to my DD2 (he was just 3 then) I told her that he had gone away. Last summer, out of the blue, she asked us when was Avi (granddad) coming back to Spain because she wanted to see him, so I had to explain to her, that he wasn't coming back but that he could see her, even though she couldn't see him. Now she is asking us all the time if she is going to die, and if I am going to die. I answer all the time, that when I am very old, but hopefully not before. She is not convinced, and she says that she doesn't want to die. I don't know what I should say to her or if there is something I could do for her to feel different.
I hope someone can advise me

Dear Cecic

I am sorry about your loss. My dad passed away 2 years back and my DD was abt the same age then. I did tell her then about death and that he is never coming back. She also went thoruhg similar questions if her other grandparents are going to die and when mum-dad going to die , etc. we explained the same way as you did.

For a while i was very sad after my Dad passed away and I would just sit outside lookign a tthe sky and would cry .my daughter would sit with me and we would look at the stars and would talk abt which star is Grandpa. It helped her to ( and to me as well) to have a image to look at when when i said he is with us now watchign over us.

There are also some very nice books int eh library which talk about death of a loved ones, they are a good way of talkign to kids in a languge they could understand.

Just continue to talk with her and try to answer her questions as clearly as you can. She just needs reassuarance that you would still be there for her.
Best Wishes
AAMum

Thanks very much AAmum for your reply, I will go to the library for the books you said, so I can read them to her.
It hasn't been easy, hopefully these books will help us all, as we don't talk a lot about my dad passing away, as for me is very difficult to talk about death, and as I wasn't able to be there in his lasts moments as he died while I was flying home, it still affects me a lot.