Dealing with the death of a grandparent

[apexmoon]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any advice or experience in dealing with a toddler and the death of a grandparent. My daughter just turned 2 and is very close with my parents. My father was diagnosed with cancer a few months back and while we are hopeful it's an uphill battle and I want to prepare for the event he passes and how to explain that to my daughter.

[WadeWingler]

I've lost both of my parents (suddenly, unexpectedly and three years apart) recently. My daughter was INCREDIBLY close to both of them. There really is nothing that I feel like I could have done to prepare her. Since both were fairly sudden (accident and sudden illness) we didn't have a lot of time to prepare. I'm glad that we had a relationship in which we talked all the time, said "I love you all the time" and knew each other well. In the end, we've cried, laughed and struggled and have learned about the fragility of life and have made this one of the ultimate teachable moments. I found myself dealing with my own mortality as part of the experience of losing both my parents--make sure you remember that, if you also find yourself dealing with that, you keep in mind the serious issue you're confronting as you help your child deal with the loss. It takes a LOOONG time to deal with it. I'm still dealing with it and so is my kiddo. You'll be in my thoughts. Hang in there.