For those of you who are parents, teachers, or just know about kids...

[author_by_night]

I'm writing an AU fic where Remus has to raise his kid sister, because his parents are murdered by DE's. However, how does one tell an eight year old her parents are dead? (And in this case, there's no way to prepare her - she was there during the attack, she'd hidden and the DE's didn't know her parents had a child - so Remus finds her in the attic).

I don't know how he's supposed to tell her gently... or how she should react. Would eight even be old enough to understand?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Comments

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

I would think that he would be specific with the child without--if she wasn't present at the murder, of course--going into exactly how her parents died. And if you think it's appropriate to delve into the idea of going beyond "the Veil" to a better place, it might be interesting to have him tell her that, too. I've been in this situation (young child of a friend who lost her father, and I watched her a lot after he died), and her mother had told her, "Daddy was very sick, but now he's in Heaven, happy and healthy again and waiting for us when it's our time." I reinforced that for her--the fact that her father was in a better place, because her memories of him were of him being in horrible pain (cancer). Well, that's my two cents, anyway.