3 Deaths before 3rd birthday.

My nephew just turned 3 at the end of November. He has lost 3 very important people in his very short life so far. He lost his Mother when he was 9 months old. He most recently lost his Mimi (Grandmother) and Papa (Grandfather) who he lived with and was very close to. His Mimi passed away in March and Papa July, both this year. He knows who his Mommy is and can identify her in pictures. We always talk about her so he knows how much she loved him. I don't think that he remember very much of her though since he was so young. When my Dad passed away he sat down on the bed and without anyone telling him what had happened he said "Papa" isn't going to talk to me anymore is he?" I wasn't sure how to respond to that so I kept quiet. Recently within the past couple weeks he has started asking about them more often. Asking when he will see them again. Asking if we could visit or if they were ever coming back...Just yesterday he asked me if his Papa was going to be a baby again and grow up again..I wasn't ignoring him, I just didn't answer right away. He became distracted and ran off playing. I don't know what to tell him. He knows that they are in Heaven even though he doesn't understand where that is or why. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

Oh my goodness that is soooo sad.  

I don't know   ...all I can do is get teary eyed reading this. I'm not sure how I would respond to that either  

Oh, that broke my heart. Poor guy  

I don't really have any advice, just want to say I'm very sorry for your family's loss.  

Thank ladies. I'm only 23 and am now raising a 3 and 16 year old. I'm trying to do my best, I just don't know how to handle some things. This being one of them for sure.

Quoting Steph0329:" Thank ladies. I'm only 23 and am now raising a 3 and 16 year old. I'm trying to do my best, I just don't know how to handle some things. This being one of them for sure."

I would explain that they are in heaven and he can see them anytime he wants in his dreams. Encourage him to talk to them. Let him know he won't hear them talk back but he will always feel their love around him.

My dad and grandma both died before I was 3...

Just keep talking to him about every1, and going to the cemetary helped me a lot... I Was always excited to visit them, and decorate their stones... it was hard growing up, they put me in counseling when I was 8 to help me grieve, because I started getting angry they were gone, I was always only kid in class who didn't have a dad, ad I wanted to scratch peoples face off because they always assumed he left...

My dad and grandma both died before I was 3...

Just keep talking to him about every1, and going to the cemetary helped me a lot... I Was always excited to visit them, and decorate their stones... it was hard growing up, they put me in counseling when I was 8 to help me grieve, because I started getting angry they were gone, I was always only kid in class who didn't have a dad, ad I wanted to scratch peoples face off because they always assumed he left...

My 4.5 year old asks questions all the time.
We lost my niece on her 4th birthday, 3 years ago December 22nd.

Scarlett asks about her cousin EVERY day. She insists that she talks to her and sees her and even plays with her. We've told her that Irelynn has gone to heaven to be with God and that Scarlett WILL see her again some day. We tell her that it is okay to talk to Irelynn because she can still hear everything she says.

Just give him hope and encourage him to keep talking about them and asking questions, thats the only way he will be able to know them.

Quoting Hairspray:" I would explain that they are in heaven and he can see them anytime he wants in his dreams. Encourage ... [snip!] ... dreams. Encourage him to talk to them. Let him know he won't hear them talk back but he will always feel their love around him."

We do talk to them. I show him his Mommy everyday in the multiple pictures around the house. When he sees pictures of my parents he says their name or if we do things he once did with them he remembers and starts to talk about it. If I was around and know what he's talking about I try to have a conversation about it to help him remember parts he may be missing. If I wasn't around I just let him talk about it till he is content. I know there will be many challenges and this is only the beginning.

Quoting Hairspray:" I would explain that they are in heaven and he can see them anytime he wants in his dreams. Encourage ... [snip!] ... dreams. Encourage him to talk to them. Let him know he won't hear them talk back but he will always feel their love around him."

I like this answer!  

<blockquote><b>Quoting Steph0329:</b>" We do talk to them. I show him his Mommy everyday in the multiple pictures around the house. When he ... [snip!] ... around I just let him talk about it till he is content. I know there will be many challenges and this is only the beginning."</blockquote>




I thing that always helped me was, them telling me stuff about them, like if a song came on my mom would tell me, *this song reminds me of ur daddy* then id listen to it and it would just stick with me... I was like 4 and I heard *shadow dancing: by any gibb* and my mom said that was his fav song, and I light up when I hear it now...

She would just tell me random stuff like, how he liked when rappers delight and double dutch bus came out, that he really like rap music, because I love it and my mom hates it... lol