How My Four Your Old Son Reacted To The Death Of His Great Nanny Biscuits

My nan was called Margaret and lived until the age of eighty eight. Unfortunately she died in hospital and this article describes how my son reacted to the news of her death. His reaction basically put a smile back onto my face again.

I loved my nan to bits and I would always try to visit her at least once a week. Her house was around ten miles away from ours and we would all look forward to seeing her. I have son aged four, a stepdaughter aged eleven and a fiancee (I won't tell you her age, as she might hit me!)

My nan lived on her own in quite a nice flat and I am sure she appreciated us visiting her. She always gave the kids biscuits to eat, and they eventually re-named her "nanny biscuits".

She would always speak her mind and would say things to me like:

"Your looking a bit fat!" or
"Are you married yet?"

I did not see this as a negative thing, I used to think it was funny.

At the age of eighty eight, she was admitted to hospital and died a few weeks later, after collapsing in the middle of night.

I was informed via a phone call and in the morning I broke the news of her death to the rest of the family.

We were all very upset, however my son did not seem to fully understand that he would not be able to see her again.

This was what he said:
"Why can't I see her, where has she gone?"
"She has died and she has gone to heaven"
"Can we go to heaven on holiday?"
"No, that's not possible, it is a long way away."
"We could go on a plane"
"Sorry son, it is too far for a plane to get to"
"Well how did nanny get there?"

I am not sure why I gave the next answer:
"On a heaven bike"
"Can I get a heaven bike for Christmas dad?"
"No son"
"So what is like in heaven dad?"
"Oh, it is an amazing place with lots of sweets and lots of fun things to do"
"I can not wait until I get to heaven, I am going to take lots of money with me."
"Why?"
"So that I can buy lots of sweets, of course".

This conversation made me smile again, at what was a very sad time in my life.

Stephen Hill

Stephen Hill has a couple of websites at http://www.stuttering-help.co.uk and at http://www.stutter-cure.com

In The News:


AFP

Philippines grief at Sanchez's 'American Idol' loss
AFP
MANILA — President Benigno Aquino led the heartbroken Philippines in heaping praise Thursday on a teenager of Filipino-Latino heritage following her loss in the final of US talent show "American Idol". Millions of Filipinos watched Jessica Sanchez, 16 ...

and more »

Oncologists Grief at Patient Loss Affects Treatment
Doctors Lounge
One coping strategy and impact of patient loss was compartmentalization, involving the ability to separate feelings of grief from other aspects of their lives. The theme of balancing emotional boundaries between growing close enough to care for ...
Cancer docs often deal with own grief, doubts when patients dieKTTC

all 13 news articles »

fox4kc.com

Family Deals with Grief & Loss After Joplin Tornado
fox4kc.com
The memories never leave and neither does their loneliness and grief. The Carmonas try not to remind rhemselves of the trauma they suffered but Kari can't help avoid the now empty lot where her daughter and husband were killed. They're doing their best ...
Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about ...Joplin Globe

all 65 news articles »

Ted Mayr Funeral Home to offer grief support sessions
Ventura County Star
“In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in awareness about the critical need to help individuals deal with the grief accompanying the loss of a loved one,” said Sherry Scott, general manager of Ted Mayr Funeral Home and Crematory.


NEWS.com.au

PM expresses grief over loss of lives in train accident
IBNLive.com
PTI | 11:05 PM,May 22,2012 New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Hampi Express train accident near Penukonda in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. In his message Singh said, ...
Mukul Roy announces ex-gratia for Hampi Express mishapDaily News & Analysis

all 1,015 news articles »

Shared Grief
Ashland Daily Tidings
Writer/director Phillipe Falardeau brilliantly captures not only the milieu of a middle-school classroom, with all of its quirks and individual personalities but touches deftly and insightfully on the students' reactions to the loss of their teacher ...

and more »

Philip Kaufman goes from loss to HBO's 'Hemingway'
San Francisco Chronicle
It must have been an exceedingly strange time for Kaufman and his producer son, Peter - losing wife Rose only a month earlier, living in the fog of grief and loss, dealing with the giant task of adjusting to life without her.

and more »

Understanding Common Reactions to Grief – No You're Not Going Crazy
WBGH
June 21 – Norwich: Hospice of Chenango County Monthly Living with Loss Talk. This month's discussion is about common reactions to grief that can make the griever feel crazy. These common reactions can include memory loss, changes in sleeping, ...


Writing Down the Grief
Huffington Post
Nobody ever suggested grieving, period. But teenagers are grieving, and the more we can guide them through this process the more they can begin to understand the losses in their lives. When I was sixteen years old, I had three people die within two ...


John Edwards deserves compassion, not ridicule
Daily Local News
The loss of a child is the most horrendous human experience imaginable. It shatters people beyond the comprehension of those who are fortunate enough not to have to experience it. I have felt all along that this was a grief issue and that the death of ...

Google News

How to Cope with Anticipatory Grief

Anticipatory grief is the name given to the mix of... Read More

Then and Now

Over one hundred years ago, during the Victorian era, death... Read More

Terminal Illness- Death and Grief

No one likes to think about illness and death, when... Read More

One Stray Tear

The delight lit my face as the couple turned the... Read More

And You Always Will

I opened the dishtowel drawer for about the sixth time,... Read More

Suicide in the Church Part 1

Recently, several suicides have occurred right here in my own... Read More

Traumas as Social Interactions

("He" in this text - to mean "He" or "She").We... Read More

Lessons We Learned From Terri Schiavo

Let's talk about Terry Schiavo, since her death illustrated for... Read More

Am I a Mother - Tips for Handling Mother?s Day After Miscarriage

Are you spending this Mother's Day wondering if you are,... Read More

Grief

If you have ever lost someone dear to you it... Read More

The Creative Side of Healing

One of the areas where I seem to be placing... Read More

Physiological Consequences of Carrying Emotional Trauma

Although many of us carry some form of emotional trauma... Read More

The Look of Grief

Never, since man has walked upright, have people all over... Read More

Adapting to the Loss of a Loved One: Three Tips on how to Cope

Have you ever sat down and played a piano where... Read More

Death Poem

During the two years of my husband's terminal illness, death... Read More

Present Moment Awareness: Lessons From My Dog

I've always waited for the perfect moment to be happy:... Read More

When Change Comes (Dealing With Grief and Loss)

Needless to say, the time after loss is volatile and... Read More

Dying at Home ? A Precious Gift

Few of us care to think about the inevitability of... Read More

Euthanasia: How Will I Know When its Time?

Pippin needed assistance from his owner to get to his... Read More

Moving Beyond Grief and Loss

In my work as a coach and therapist, I have... Read More

One Womans Way of Dealing With Grief

All of us at one time or another have felt... Read More

Death of a Parent: Saying Good-Bye to Mommy or Daddy

Coping with the death of a loved one is never... Read More

Afraid Of Dying? Afraid Of Living!

Over the years, I've heard many people voice their concerns... Read More

Dealing With Tragedies (The 9/11 Tragedy)

September 11, 2001, marked yet another significant turning point in... Read More

Guilty, Your Honor: The Burden of Guilt After a Suicide

Guilty, Your Honor, I whisper.Have you ever done anything so... Read More