matttyl
Footballguy
Son will be 4 this July. This past year we put down our two oldest dogs (15 and 17, which is ancient for the breed), leaving us with one (the one in my avatar picture). One of those dogs my wife had had since a puppy, and it was very hard on her. My son thought that Luke (the dog) had just run away or was missing - and he and the "Paw Patrol" (his favorite show) would go and find him. He hasn't brought it up for the past few months, but this past weekend we got a new puppy. Also a border collie like the two dogs we put down last year. I guess this has resurrected (bad word to use here) his thoughts about the two dogs we put down. "We need to find them!" Upsets my wife a bit - not because he doesn't understand, but because of her attachment to one of those dogs.
So when and how do you go about trying to explain death to a young child? I don't want to use the "old" word too much in an explanation as his grandmother is a widow already at age 70 (grandpa passed before he was born) and I don't want to get him thinking that she could die, too.
In attempting an explanation this weekend, we told him that whenever he misses Luke or Beau, to give this new puppy a hug or a pet, as she's going to be his doggie now. Just not really sure how to explain it in a way that he might understand, but not to really upset him.
So when and how do you go about trying to explain death to a young child? I don't want to use the "old" word too much in an explanation as his grandmother is a widow already at age 70 (grandpa passed before he was born) and I don't want to get him thinking that she could die, too.
In attempting an explanation this weekend, we told him that whenever he misses Luke or Beau, to give this new puppy a hug or a pet, as she's going to be his doggie now. Just not really sure how to explain it in a way that he might understand, but not to really upset him.