you think young kids don't understand-they do, crystal clear

[pinkdutchtulips]

dd was just 4 when her dad relapsed and we left er separated. 3 months later he went into detox and a residential treatment facility. we visited him twice at the residential facility and I told dd that this was poppa's special hospital so he can get better.

we pass by the street where the rehab place is on everyday but today for some reason dd busted out w/ this 'that's poppa's special hospital, he didn't want to get better, he wanted to stay sick' broke my heart to hear that ! also that means she completely understands what's going on w/ her dad .... that's he's sick but not in a runny nose, coughing kind of sick but something much much worse.

[malibu]

I don't know how much DD understands. Nothing's been explained to her other than daddy was at the doctor's office. She accepted that and hasn't said a word since. I wonder if it'll come out in conversation later. (She's 3, will be 4 in December.)

[arch01]

this was my big fear of telling DS that DH was sick. DS will be 3 in december. i do wonder though if it'll come out again in conversation since he still talks about our trip out west that was in march.

that breaks my heart pinkdutchtulips

[pinkdutchtulips]

Oct 17, 2014 13:36:42 GMT -5 malibu said:

I don't know how much DD understands. Nothing's been explained to her other than daddy was at the doctor's office. She accepted that and hasn't said a word since. I wonder if it'll come out in conversation later. (She's 3, will be 4 in December.)

hopefully for now that should suffice .. dd also witnessed her dad being lead away in an ambulance 2x and lead away in cuffs 3x despite my best efforts (to shield her from seeing, NOT from him being arrested).

she's asked questions and I've made it as kid appropriate as possible ie poppa's sick, mommie and poppa love you very much but as long as poppa's sick he can't see you ... its hard and I'm NOT looking forward to her school's drug/alcohol/bullying awareness week aka Red Ribbon Week ... at 5 she knows what kind of destruction it causes and since it's lead by the PD, she might recognize an officer or 2 or they might recognize her. she knows drugs are bad and she knows that her dad made some bad choices.

[pinkdutchtulips]

Oct 17, 2014 13:42:32 GMT -5 arch01 said:

this was my big fear of telling DS that DH was sick. DS will be 3 in december. i do wonder though if it'll come out again in conversation since he still talks about our trip out west that was in march.

that breaks my heart pinkdutchtulips

it will .. I can't tell you when or in what context it'll come it but it will. dd has a few episodes at dc where she UNLOADED about what happened. thankfully dcp is a LE wife so she treated it as if nothing happened, let dd talk it out and never mentioned it again.

[Deleted]

That is so sad, pinkdutchtulips. But you are right, kids are very perceptive.

[partiallysunny]

::nods:: kids understand a whole lot more than adults think