Parents Talk: How do you tell a child about death and dying?

Parents Talk is a weekly feature on Waukee Patch where we reach out to those moms, dads, grandparents, etc. looking for a resources and information (or maybe just a sounding board) to talk about parenting. We invite and encourage you to tell your friends about Parents Talk too. After all, we can’t build a community without your help. We hope that you will contribute your ideas, questions, anecdotes and advice to other parents in your hometown.

In the next few weeks, we will also be organizing a Parents Council that will help answer some of your questions and offer practical, real word solutions. The Council will consist of experts (see: other parents) who can speak firsthand about everything from potty-training to the best pediatricians to surviving driver’s education with a teenager.

We hope you’ll use Parents Talk as one of the many resources you can find for raising happy, healthy children.

Please take a moment to weigh in on the comments below.

This week's discussion topic:

My grandmother recently passed away after a long illness. She has been sick on and off for the last three years. Our kids have known she was ill but as she got worse, we chose to keep them away from hospice so they wouldn't have memories of her hooked up to a bunch of tubes. Now that she has passed on, how do I tell the kids? There won't be a funeral as she chose to be cremated but even telling them about that seems complicated. My girls are 6 and 8. I would appreciate suggestions on how to tell them what has happened. Thank you!