Love this quote from the article:

"As parents, one of the best things we can give a child is a healthy start on honest engagement with the biggest idea they will ever confront. Avoid the subject isn’t even possible–they will encounter it in their lives. And just as with sexuality, alcohol, religion, and drugs, the worst thing we can do is try to keep them ignorant. The longer they are kept from thinking about these things, the more dysfunctionally they will confront them once they finally do. That doesn’t imply taking a “deal-with-it” approach to death. On the contrary: talking openly, honestly, and compassionately about mortality is the best way to protect our children from a painful blindsiding later in life."

They were not alive before they were born, but their parents had hopes and dreams for what this new little person would become. The little person grows and learns and (hopefully) becomes an adult.

At some point, usually after many many years, the body quits working, whether it be due to illness or accident or simply old age, and though their physical body is no longer warm and near for us, to hug and talk with, the memory of the good things they did during their life stay in our thoughts and help shape our future.

There's usually some good saying or attitude we can take from the deceased as a legacy to apply into our lives going forward. And in this way, they are not fogotten, but live on.

I went to my son crying once when he was young. I asked what the problem was and he asked if he is really going to die one day. I said yes you are son but look on the bright side im a good bit older than you so there's a good chance I'll die first so as you can see its pointless crying about it.

In my opinion the first thing to do in helping kids deal with death without thoughts of an afterlife is to stop teaching them about an afterlife. Once we have come that far perhaps we can start seeing the value of human life again. Religion teaches just the opposite.

We return to the void from which we came. If you insist on an after-life it tends to imply there must have also been a before-life as well. Ask them how that went. Once we die there is nothing. It's pointless to worry about or be scared. It happens to everyone.

I had never thought about this until my late partner was dying. From the time she could reason she thought religion was silly and understood the life/death connection. When it was time she felt she had had a good life and was ready and totally unafraid.

I think adding religion into one's life with the promise of an afterlife makes death much harder to accept. For myself, when letting go of religion, that one issue was the most difficult. These people think they are doing their children a favor when actually they are doing them a disservice. Unfortunately, it is what they were taught and they simply repeat the process. I know, I did that to my daughter now I have to try and undo it. Her closeness to my late partner, especially being there during her death, helped a lot.

Thank you for sharing. I have an 8 year old daughter and this is a subject that has come up a few times.

I must've done something right because my now 22 yr old daughter handles death better than yours truly. My 109 year old Nana died 9 years ago. My father died 3 years ago. My mother is 90. My daughter theorized Nana(her great-grandmother) was too old, Grandpa was old, and Grandma is getting old to handle their passings. Watching her animal menagerie occassionally succumb to death was her non-religious education.

Teach them science and how the human body works, teach them about astronomy. If they don't have any learning disabilities, everything will fall in place.

Afterlife exists, immortality exists, great people are immortal they live in the heart and thoughts of people,they never die.

It is important to live your life to the fullest because there isn't anything more coming.