Even a seemingly simple statement like “Mom went to heaven” can be misinterpreted. “Why can’t we take a drive there and bring her back?” the child might ask. Or “Why did she choose heaven over us? Doesn’t she love us anymore?” A seven-year-old boy’s father told him that death was really called the Grim Reaper and was a Halloween character. Old people, he explained, couldn’t run fast enough to get away from the Grim Reaper, which is why Grandpa died. The child never enjoyed Halloween again.
