Because I'm only 2 years and 5 months in on all things motherhood, I've yet to figure out the correct way to handle some major parenting issues. Though it helps to be the Managing Editor of a parenting site led by renowned experts in this field, it doesn't always help get me through some crucial decisions... In fact, just this past week, I dodged a big parenting bullet that I think may, at some point, reqiure me to do "some 'splaining"; That is: How to explain to my son that people, pets, and things die. That his fish Nemo is dead, and not "in a river, visiting his dad," as we, without really thinking it through, blurted out. (To Read about "Losing Nemo", CLICK HERE!)

A couple months ago, Parents Ask shared a story from Catherine Connors of Her Bad Mother about how she planned to explain to daughter about her grandfather's death. Catherine wondered how she was supposed to answer her daughter's steady stream of questions... "with a twist:"

"If Jesus is in heaven, and Grandpa is in heaven, and Jesus and Grandpa are dead, and the dinosaurs are dead, aren’t the dinosaurs in heaven, too? And, can we go there? Please can we go there? Why can’t we go there?"

So, the question is: When is the appropriate age to discuss death with your child? Do humans (i.e. family members, friends, etc.) deserve more or any different explanation than the passing of pets?  

Tell us your thoughts here!