Hi Little Katy Bug followers.
This can be a very difficult thing to talk about. This is how I dealt with it.
So this week… has been a tough one for my own family, my brothers, extended family, and me personally. My father passed from natural causes early this week. My husband and I had to really explain death to my children on a deeper level than we had ever done before. My mom had passed before my kids were born, and other than pets that they hadn’t really been very attached to, my kids hadn’t experienced death up to now. Also, my dad lived quite a ways from us, and so they had only met a few times since my kids are relatively young.
After researching for what seemed like forever, I found a book on Amazon by Steve Herman. It’s called, The Sad Dragon. It’s part of the My Dragon series of 35 books. This is volume 28. This volume is about the family that Dragon lost before he came to live where he does now, and how he processed his grief, but on a kids level. It also helped us as parents explain that though my kids probably weren’t all that sad, since they didn’t really know him well, at least they could process why their mom was. They do talk about heaven, which for our family is perfect.
I think it’s a well written story, and I certainly will be buying more of his books. They can be pricey in print, but we went for the eBook that was a lower price. I highly recommend it! My son who socially struggles for cues and also struggles understanding overall social dynamics was able to grasp it at least mostly. He is still 5 after all too.☺(He is officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.)
This book created the perfect opportunity to have the tough discussion with our kids about their grandfather and the feelings that go with the situation. Just make sure to have tissues handy. It brings the emotions out.
I hope this helps create a more comfortable way to talk about death if it comes up for your families too if you have younger children. Please all, stay safe and keep creating memories while creating things you love to help you continue to smile with those you love even after a death. Every person has good qualities, always try to see those and be kind to one another. See you all again soon!!
Little Katy Bugs 