Not looking forward to next week

[cymru]

Today we had a funeral for Carol's dad's cousin. Annie was a rock star for it. Since everyone who watches Annie is family so she had to go with us. We figure it was also a good idea because we have a couple of other elderly family members in bad health that Annie is really close to. We used it as sort of a practice funeral since Annie didn't know Uncle John.

Well on our way into the church we got a call that another family member died this morning. This is someone Annie was very close to. The funeral will be next week.

We have had a lot of talks this week about death and heaven and no longer being here.

Annie is very upset about this death and crying about she will miss her.

The difference in the funeral today and the one next week is that John was cremated so there was no body present. I am a little worried about how Annie will deal with Peg being in heaven and seeing her body here. She doesn't really understand the idea of souls. I have been telling her that the part that made Peggy "Peggy" is gone.

How else do you explain this to a three year old?

Sorry this was so long. It is just weighing on my mind how to explain death to her in a way she will understand but not be frightened of.

[sonrisa]

Oops. I opened the wrong page (I meant to be on ML). However, We recently went through my father's death with my child. I hope you don't feel like I'm intruding by commenting.

Does she have to see the body? I wouldn't take her up to the casket. Can you talk to her about how Peggy will always be in her heart? How she will always love Peggy and peggy loves/loved her? How she can look at pictures of Peggy whenever she wants to see her? We look at photos of grandpa frequently and talk about how much he loved her and how she can talk to him whenever she wants, she just can't see him.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[ElsaVonM]

I'm so sorry What a rough time. I wish I had advice for you, but I don't really.

I did want to recommend a great book called The Next Place, by Warren Hanson. It's a beautiful, comforting and non-religious-specific book about what happens when we die. (It doesn't directly address death: just talks about "the next place that I'll go.") They probably have it at your local bookstore if you want to read it and decide if it would be appropriate for her age. It's one of my favorite kid books.

[ct]

i'm sorry its so hard