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(10 Posts)
numberplease Mon 04-Aug-14 17:41:22

I looked after my youngest grandchild, aged just turned 6, every day last week, and although his main interest on the laptop is Cbeebies, he`s developed a real passion for Streetview. We travelled all over to wherever he wanted to go, then he really stumped me............he wanted to go see where Grandad in the sky lived! I just told him that google hadn`t taken any photos up there yet, so street view wouldn`t let us go there. What else could I have said? He was 2 and a half when his granddad died, but he still recognizes him in photos.

HildaW Mon 04-Aug-14 17:58:09

Numberplease, in a way it all sounds so very sad....yet the very young are very uncomplicated about death. My Grandson was a similar age when his other Grandma died so he tells me that its 'Grandma who is in heaven' when he sees a picture. It never goes any further he just states the fact, I agree and he moves on. That's how they are at that age...its us oldies that complicate matters by getting upset. We do the damage when we recoil at the subject and say we don't want to think about it, or as they did in my day, shush the child aggressively and say something tactless like 'we don't talk about that'. Sounds like you did a good job.
P.S. when I was doing my Pre-School training we were taught how to respond to children going through a loss.......basically it was listen, listen and listen.

numberplease Mon 04-Aug-14 18:04:11

The granddad in question was his mum's dad, my old man is still with us, but his other granddad stepped in when mum had severe post natal depression and didn`t want to be bothered with the baby, my son had to go to work, couldn`t afford the time off, and I think there was a certain bond with his granddad from day one. He`s a real joy though, wish he was here this week!

Iam64 Mon 04-Aug-14 18:54:36

When my friends sister died, her 3 year old grandson asked where his auntie had gone to. Grandma did what I thought was a lovely gran type explanation. They're of Jewish origin, no non practicing, and his dad is atheist. Gran explained some people believe (heaven, etc), others don't believe that, but in truth, we don't know. Grandson exclaimed, well google it gran!

HildaW Mon 04-Aug-14 18:58:16

Do remember my dear Grandma....very pragmatic and down to earth talking about why people have to die.......something along the lines of....'well if us old ones don't go we'd be knee deep in old folks.....as a child I accepted it as perfect common sense.

ninathenana Mon 04-Aug-14 22:47:12

Five yr old knew his paternal GF but not his maternal one. They are both 'in heaven looking after Titch' his surviving GM dog who died last year.

shysal Tue 05-Aug-14 18:15:57

number, has your GS tried this? taxi.ba.com/
It shows a plane taxiing through London then (fleetingly) past a given postcode.

numberplease Tue 05-Aug-14 22:47:56

Shysal, thanks for reminding me of that one, it`s ages since I watched that plane taxi past our house! He probably hasn`t seen it, so that`s something to show him next time.

rubylady Wed 06-Aug-14 01:23:01

Thank you for this link, my son is actually on the recording, cool. smile

numberplease Wed 06-Aug-14 15:39:58

I used to have something similar in my pics, a Christmassy picture of snow through a window, if you put your postcode in it was outside your house, but it seems to have disappeared now,