While it is the normal order of things for a grandparent to die during the life of a child, such an event can be a salient moment: the loss of a grandparent may be your child's introduction to death. And it will bring up all sorts of questions, worries, and concerns.
If a child and their grandparent were close, it is, of course, an extremely sad and painful experience. A grandparent can be a unique source of love, comfort, and support for a child. Grandparents often do not discipline as much as parents; they may indulge the child’s wants and needs more than the parents, and as such, the child may feel particularly upset when a grandparent dies.
When their grandparent dies, your child can have all new fears about death, and it may occur to them that you could die or even that they themselves could die.
This can raise existential issues for the child. What is death? What does it mean to die? What happens after you die?
These questions are difficult, and you may struggle to answer them.
But after the death of a grandparent, you can talk about what it means to lead a long and productive life. It can be comforting for the child to know that the grandparent was older and got to have many years of life.
However, the death of a grandparent is complicated because often is it a double loss. Not only does your child feel her own feelings, but she must also deal with the grief you and/or your partner feel. It may be a new and troubling experience to see you cry or be sad for an extended period of time—and you may be less available for a while, both emotionally and in........