08-08-2007, 02:38 PM
I am sorry you are suffering with this. My sister's dog died very unexpectedly last year when my niece was 2. My sister and her husband were so shocked and grief stricken that they hadn't given any thought as to how to handle it with Kasey so they kind of evaded the topic for a few days trying to gather their thoughts.
They talked to other parents and the pediatrician who all said that sitting her down to explain it wouldn't accomplish much at her age. Like others have mentioned, she was simply too young to grasp the concept.
They all did say to make sure NOT to say the dog had gone to sleep and never woke up. They said this makes some kids afraid to go to sleep and are afraid when Mom and Dad go to sleep.
Kasey asked for "Bia" (she couldn't say Bailey) for a few days and then she stopped. Sometimes she would say "Bia outside?" and they would just say "yes". Once in a while she will still say "Bia went bye bye on the airplane". Not sure where this came from but there you go. She does recognize him when she sees a picture of him so I do think it is a good idea to keep photos around.
Sorry I didn't have much to offer other than anecdotal info, but hopefully something here will help.
DM
They talked to other parents and the pediatrician who all said that sitting her down to explain it wouldn't accomplish much at her age. Like others have mentioned, she was simply too young to grasp the concept.
They all did say to make sure NOT to say the dog had gone to sleep and never woke up. They said this makes some kids afraid to go to sleep and are afraid when Mom and Dad go to sleep.
Kasey asked for "Bia" (she couldn't say Bailey) for a few days and then she stopped. Sometimes she would say "Bia outside?" and they would just say "yes". Once in a while she will still say "Bia went bye bye on the airplane". Not sure where this came from but there you go. She does recognize him when she sees a picture of him so I do think it is a good idea to keep photos around.
Sorry I didn't have much to offer other than anecdotal info, but hopefully something here will help.
DM