I've never thought about what to say about it when the time came, so I just went with it. I didn't shy from it or deny her the truth. Death happens. It'll happen to every single one of us, hopefully at the end of a long and fulfilling life.
Today it was about my Grandma. She is 83 years old and has been without my grandpa for almost 9 years now. Her eyesight is failing and she's looking a bit old and frail. Carley asked me flat out "Is Grandma Sadie dying?"
I could have approached it any number of ways, but what I did was just acknowledge that yes, she's getting old and someday she will die, but that I hoped that we had a lot of years left with her.
I'm amazed at the thoughts that come out of her head at age 4. Especially since she's been 4 for only 12 days. She informed me that if Grandma Sadie dies, she won't come back.
"That's right, sweetie. If you die, you don't get to come back."
"Well, if Grandma Sadie dies, I'm going to be really really sad and cry a whole lot because I love her so much."
I think Valentine's Day is a perfect time to bring up death of loved ones. It should remind us to love those in our lives while we have time. The future is not guaranteed. It's so easy to get caught up in life that you don't tell those you love that you love them. So take a moment and tell someone you love them. Because you never know when that will be the last time you get to do so.
