How would you answer a child who asks what happens when you die?

Question

I realize most of the adults in this section have their own views on this, but would you tell a child this? I think the standard Christian answers seems to be Heaven, but what if the child wasn't your own? What if a niece or a neighbor or someone asked you when their parents weren't around to answer? If you personally believe you go into a hole in the ground, is it a good idea to tell a child this? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Usually, these questions come up during the preschool - kindergarten-early grade school years. While it may seem random, they usually come up when a child has thought about it themselves.

Since the child has thought about it, I would take the opportunity to ask them what they think. "I'm not sure. What do you think?" This gives the child the freedom to voice what is really on their mind.

Be honest at that point. Say that a lot of people believe there is more after life. A lot of people believe there is nothing more. A lot of people believe you come back. Tell the child that we simply do not know for sure, but what he/she believes is a good thought. You can usually leave it at that. If they ask again what you believe, share it with them, but be sure to be clear that you don't know the answer either.

When a child asks a question like that, they are usually more looking for you to help them sort out their own answer as opposed to wanting to be told what to believe. So take that opportunity to help them sort out what they think.

Matt

Answer 2

I believe being honest is the only way. No matter what your own thoughts are on the afterlife, the FACTS are that no one really knows. Depending on the age of the child, I would suggest just saying that dying is like going to sleep (which is true, even the bible says the dead are conscience of nothing at all) and ask what THEY think happens. You might be surprised to find most children already have an idea of what they think will happen. It's best to let them control the conversation, and guide them so they are not in fear of something horrible since we don't know what will happen. All anyone really wants is to be listened to and comforted.

Answer 3

If they asked me, I would tell them what I believe but I'd do it in such a way that'd it be age appropriate. I'd tell them that death is the end of life. I don't see any reason to lie to a child and tell them something that just isn't true. Kids are a lot smarter than most people think, if you tell them death is just like being asleep or that people go to heaven they are only going to ask more questions. Particularly if you have that heaven/hell dynamic going on in your religion.

Answer 4

I think that if a neighbor child asks you this, you should say, "That's such a good question! I wonder what your mommy thinks about it. I'll bet she knows. Should we go ask her?" Don't give away anything, because even the wisest, most tactful answer could make the parents of the child angry. You know what kind of world we live in now... everyone is so touchy.

Answer 5

I will tell my daughter that I do not know for certain, but it seems that this is the only life we have, I would of course add a lot more to it explaining how life is a great thing etc, but it would depend on the moment.

If it were any other child I would just tell them I don't know.

Answer 6

Start off with saying. I believe:

Always tell the truth. The scriptures say they fell asleep in death.
They know going to sleep doesn't hurt.

For a while they may be anxious at bedtime but you must let them know that the bible says they will wake up in the resurrection as if they were just asleep.

The bible also says ...dust you are and to dust you return.

They will respect you more if you teach them from the scriptures.
The parents cannot be angry if it is scriptural.

You have to make sure you tell the child the memory of them goes back to God.

Answer 7

I used to babysit a little girl whose mother was killed in a car wreck. One day while I was with her and her dad she asked her day why her mother had to die. Her dad got all choked up and I could tell he was about to fall apart. So I told her that Jesus wanted her mommy to be in heaven with him now because she was such a good person she didn't need to be here any more and that one day she would be able to be in heaven with her mommy and Jesus when it was her time. She just accepted what I told her and went off to play.
Her dad thanked me for telling her this as he honestly did not know what to say to her and I had prevented what could of been a bad situation for him and his daughter. He was not a religious man.

Answer 8

i replaced into terrified by death as a toddler; can not undergo in innovations how my a million/2-Christian yet no longer very religious father and mom dealt with this. i think of what i could say on your youngster is that existence truly does go in a huge circle, and as quickly as we die we bypass our means and our fabric atoms onto another residing creature, in simple terms as different creatures have died with the intention to bypass their means and their atoms to us. As for the place we come from -- on each occasion I asked this question as a toddler, my mom could launch right into an prolonged, truly murky, quite guarded clarification of sexual reproduction, yet utilising euphemisms at the same time with "Mommy and Daddy sleep at the same time, and the toddler is formed in Mommy's abdomen." i could desire to on no account quite understand the "slumbering at the same time" and "Mommy's abdomen" stuff, and my mom's earnest awkwardness in attempting to describe the approach made me a splash uncomfortable. So after awhile i could get a splash bored with the motives and initiate thinking approximately another undertaking. i don't be responsive to if this replaced into the objective, yet my mom's factors of the place we come from had the clever consequence of turning out to be my question go away. It replaced right into a ask your self as quickly as I grew to become 12 and my Dad defined to me that in simple terms "slumbering at the same time" wasn't adequate to make a splash one, that Tab A had to be insert into Slot B, an thought I in the commencing up got here across truly gross.

Answer 9

I think that the proper thing to tell a child is that you go to Heaven when you die. And explain to them that you will always be happy and never get hurt again!

Answer 10

I would say that, when you die, your body begins to shut down until there is nothing left to work with. I would also mention that some people believe a deeper part of you doesn't die and something else happens to it, but I would leave my own beliefs out of this part and wait for them to make up their mind about it.

You should spread knowledge and facts, but when it comes to belief it really is personal preference. Me believing that that 'deeper part' is a part of our brain and it too shuts down when your mind does shouldn't influence the child to also believe this.