Explaining the death of a grandparent is never an easy thing. The fact of the matter is, while it is likely that your child will be greatly affected by the news of the death of a grandparent, you too are in a period of mourning, and you have your own feelings of grief that factor in as well. How exactly you explain the death of a grandparent depends on a couple of factors. First, it depends on the age of the child. Second, it depends on the nature of the relationship between the grandparent and the grandchild.

If your child is a toddler, for example, you need to be certain that you use language that they can understand. You need to use short and simple answers to your toddler’s questions. In fact, the more simply that you approach it, the more he will be able to put the concept into real terms. For example, if the grandparent used to take the toddler fishing, you can explain that the grandparent won’t be taking him fishing anymore, but that it doesn’t mean he can’t go fishing, for example. If your child is older, the same principle really applies. Answer direct questions, but don’t try to make things too complex. The child will ask you if she is confused.

Even if a child wasn’t especially close with a particular grandparent, it can still be a struggle to explain the death of that grandparent to the child. Still, it is less likely that the child will be nearly as devastated if he didn’t see the grandparent very often. If the grandparent baby-sits the child on a regular basis, for example, you can certainly expect the child to take it a lot harder.

When you explain the death of a grandparent, you should communicate your religious beliefs to your child as well. While you will want to avoid some long theological discussion about heaven, you can, for example, just say that you know that she misses her grandparent, but that the grandparent is with God in heaven, and that she will see her grandparent again in heaven someday.

Posted in School Issues

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