(September 8, 2013 at 5:27 pm)dimaniac Wrote: In a world where there's no scientific proof of God's existence and of life after death how will you explain to your children why you brought them into the world and why they will have to die?
I haven't read the thread, just responding to the OP.
Umm... I think it would be rather mean and borderline abusive (fairly traumatic at any rate) to tell a young child: HEY! Guess what?!? You're gonna die someday!
Best way that I've had to explain death to my kids (ages 5 and 7) is to have pets, particularly those that don't last long (ie. goldfish, hamster, etc.). We never hid the fact that the pet died and the kids wanted to help say goodbye (a small funeral of sorts around the toilet bowl for the fish, and a small burial service in the garden for the hamster). When they ask questions, like, "Where's Roly Poly now?" And especially for my younger, who had more difficulty with the idea of permanence (ie. hamster died, he's not coming back), we would answer honestly. Simply stating that everything that lives, dies. You don't have to point out that they're going to die too. They've figured out that mom and dad are going to die, but not a mention as to their own mortality.
We also used pet deaths as a teaching moments about religion. Telling them what different people believe happens when someone/something dies (go to heaven, get reincarnated, are just gone and the body breaks down into soil and nourishes other life). It's pretty obvious which one makes the most sense. We also told them that our loved ones (people and pets) are always with us in our memories and hearts and the good times we had with them.
A big part of why religion is still around, is the fact that people are uncomfortable with the idea of death. I question this. Why fear death? Death is as natural as being born, as natural as breathing, as natural as life. Sure we don't know what happens afterwards, and the unknown is always what is most scary, but no one knows the answer, so why fuss about the possibilities? From a biological standpoint, our very sense of self, can be reduced to a series of electrical impulses and hormones/chemicals in our brains. Upon death these things cease. End of story. I really don't see what is so terrifying about that.
As to why we brought them into this world... We make that kind of obvious by loving and supporting them. Telling and showing them that they are really wonderful and special to us. Helping them explore this world.
