I've been a parent for 11 years, and I thought I had really dealt with everything until my oldest son hits puberty. Tonight proved that theory wrong. My six year old came upstairs from bed crying. Finally I was able to understand through his sobs why he was crying. He said "My brain is telling me that I am going to die someday." How do I help a six year old who is coming to terms with death far too young (at least I think it's too young)? Neither of my other, older, sons have really come to me with this issue. There has not been a recent death around us. He doesn't watch scary movies. I have no idea where this came from. He says that there was no source...that it was just a random thought. All I could do was hold him and tell him that in a perfect world death is for after you've lived a long life.
No, thats the age when kids begin to learn what death means. Otherwise I guess all you can do is comfort him and tell him that death for him is a long time away
Okay. That comforts me a little. Like I said, neither of my older boys really ever had the epiphany moment. They both know what death means, but it didn't freak them out when they first realized it like it did with Nathan tonight.