Talking to dd about death

[hillbilly]

My parents are both dead and my dd (3.11) has started to ask about my mummy and daddy. I am not sure how to talk to her about them or what to say regarding death.

Any advice?

I thought I had a thread saved in my watched ones about a humanist approach to death involving an analogy of a hand and a glove but I can't find it. However I did find this one from Moondog which might help.

Has she seen anything dead? I found my dcs could transfer dead spider, dead bird, etc to people being dead. And for a while that was enough. They've all gone through various stages of realisatio about the implications of that; 'I don't want you to die/ will I die?' but I've just tried to deal with each stage/ question as it's come up. It's finding that balance between complete honesty and not jumping ahead to too much info, I think.

So, I've said that most people die when they're old, but you never know for sure. I also found the concept of dying when it's 'your time to die' useful or 'when he's had enough of living'. But i sort of believe those, so they came truthfully to me, iyswim. and I think it's important to say I don't know' sometimes, too.

Thanks Malkuth and saintmaybe. I'm not sure if she has seen anything dead, but as her pre school has a massive garden I would not be surprised.

I will have a look at that thread too.