If your child asks you whether you are going to die, what do you say?

[emkana]

Just watched Ice Age with the dd's, dd1 who is five was in tears once she realized that the mother had died, wanted reassurance from me that it couldn't happen in real life.
I find it so difficult to know what to say, I want to reassure her, but am also so conscious of the fact that tragedies do happen and people do die young sometimes...
what do you say?

my DS (4) has been talking about this a lot too lately. Must be the age. So far I have been honest with him. His latest is 'I hope when I die and go to Heaven I can go with you mummy'. That I find harder to cope with.

yes we will ALL die...

but not until we are very very very old.. and you will be very very old then too...

next Q.... V. V. V. old like great granny?

Yes V V V old like great granny or even older!

........ Few weeks later in boiling hot weather when i tell you you have to drink.... why?.... cause its so hot its dangeorus and the weather men say we have to drink... and its so hot that old people must be even more careful so they dont go outside and die...

"oh, i wonder if great granny is dead yet .... her is V V V old "