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Great question. I can't answer what you should tell your child, as that is largely dependent on your beliefs, but can try and give you some pointers on how you could talk to your child. Whatever it is you belief, we found it helped us to talk to our son (5 at the time) in as simple and direct terms possible, and to not be overly emotional ourselves. Of ...

I understand death of a parent can happen to any child, but is it right to pretend we don't know what's coming? Unless your kids are incredibly dense, they are going to figure it out sooner or later, and probably sooner. The only question is where are they going to get their information from. I was diagnosed with MS two years ago when my kids were 7, ...

From my experience with children, especially young children, the simpler is better. If I was in your situation, I would explain to the children that some people make bad decisions. I would explain that some bad decisions are worse than others (like throwing a toy in the house is “bad decision”, but choosing to hurt somebody else is a “very bad decision”). ...

To add to @Korneel's answer: After starting to understand death's permanence, our daughter became very worried about my wife and I dying. The most important things we've stressed to her about it is that: Nobody gets to choose when they die Despite that, we don't plan on dying anytime soon Even if we did, that they would still be cared for and loved by ...

In my opinion, "sealing the bedding with a strong polythene sheet" presents a significant risk of suffocation -- not SIDS, just plain asphyxiation. Most infant mattresses are deliberately covered with a mesh webbing underneath the cotton surface with the explicit purpose of allowing the baby to breathe even if it turns face-down during sleep. Try it for ...

I would definitely tell him in advance, to give him a chance to process the fact in time, and to say goodbye to the cat. Morah made a good point about leaving the sickness out of the explanation, that may be one strategy. However, my feeling is that telling that the cat just died, without any clear reason, may be equally frightening for the kid if he has a ...

Above all, be honest. Tell your children the basics Use matter-of-fact language Be open to their questions Use language that they'll understand I know this isn't easy, but it will help them prepare for the future if you help them understand as best you can. Children can be remarkably resilient, and the trust you build with them through honesty will be ...

The American Academy of Pediatrics has specific recommendations for infant bedding, with the goal of reducing instances of SIDS (a.k.a. "crib death" or "cot death"): Always place your baby on his or her back for every sleep time. Always use a firm sleep surface. Car seats and other sitting devices are not recommended for routine sleep. Keep soft objects or ...

all the guidance we got suggests that putting plastic wrapping anywhere near a mattress is a very bad idea. Like Chrys says, you do not get 'nerve gases' from mattresses, and in fact letting air get through a mattress is a much better idea. Babies should not have a pillow, but should be laid on the mattress, with one breathable blanket under them. This ...

I came across a TED talk about the psychology and motivation of terrorists: By leading the Americans in his audience at TEDxPSU step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand -- not approve of, but understand -- the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? And by extension, can anyone ...

These conversations can be tough! Here are a few books on the subject: When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death (Dino Life Guides for Families) by Laurie Krasny Brown What Happens When Someone Dies?: A Child's Guide to Death and Funerals (Elf-Help Books for Kids) by Michaelene Mundy Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children ...

What you should do? I don't have a scientifically proven answer - I just can tell you my experience, as we already have had many of such conversations (even at an earlier age). I think you should talk as open as possible (and necessary) about death to her and you should show her (if possible) that it makes no sense to be afraid of death as it is (partly) ...

I actually got this questions from my 6-yo son couple of days ago. I told him that there can be a group of people who are extremely disagree with the government. They only way to change things that they see is to explode things, kill politicians and to scare people. Such members of such a group are called "terrorists".

My take on it (for adults and children alike) goes something like this: Many people feel that they deserve a better life than they have, and most of the time they are correct. Most people also tend to split the world into "Us" vs "Them", because it makes the world much easier to understand. Most of the time they are wrong, and the differences they think ...

My son just turned 5 and we've had a few not-so-close family members die (nothing as closely related as a great-grandmother) and some pets. My son first started mentioning "death" around age 3 1/2 or 4 probably and I was a little surprised at how much he understood about death in general (that it means that the person or animal has left and won't be ...

I have yet to be in this situation but my instinct would say keep the word sick out of it, for the reason you listed. As well, don't tell him you chose to have the cat put down, that is simply too scary for him. Instead simply say that sometimes living things, like animals and plants and people die. This means that we can't play with them anymore. Then let ...

That is very tough. There are a large number of children books that deal with a wide range of parent illnesses, and the challenges both the parent and child will face. With children under 5, then I'd start with colorful story books. There are also a couple of Disney films that involve the death of one parent. The Little Mermaid (Ariel is raised by her ...

People think differently. For the most part, people around the world are able to get along with other people even though we have different opinions. Some people are not willing to even try to get along with other people. They refuse to accept the fact that others have those different opinions, and will stop at nothing to force those opinions onto others. ...

There are a number of picture books that can help in this situation. Try: Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie with Robert Ingpen explains the life cycle using humans, trees, and animals. Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola tells about a four-year-old coming to terms with his great grandmother's death. ...