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How to Have “The Death Talk” With Your Kids
One of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood is finding out that my Nan died.
I remember sitting on my bed as my Mum walked into the room, crying as she tried to explain it in words my nine-year-old brain could understand.
Now it’s my turn.
My son is adamant my wife and I are going to die.
And I don’t mean in a, “Everybody dies eventually,” sense, but a “Who’s going to take me to school because you’ll be in the ground?” sense.
Those are his exact words.
Evenings are no longer a time for cuddles, bedtime stories and playing Lego Star Wars. Instead of battling Darth Vader, we’re now waging war on my son’s new-found anxieties about his parents dropping dead.
We often come downstairs early in the morning while he’s still asleep. Yesterday he woke up, made his way downstairs, and before I know it he’s sobbing his heart out, saying we’d left him all alone.
All parents know they will have to have the “death talk” at some point, but most don’t prepare for it. Here are a few practical tips you can use to make sure your kids (and you) are ready for the conversation when it eventually comes.
