How to talk about death with kids if you don't believe in God

I don't want to depress them, but I also don't want to lie to them. What's a parent to do?

A family at a graveyard.
(Image credit: Illustrated | CreepyCube/iStock, grynold/iStock)

I would love to have faith in the idea that when we die, something lovely and eternal awaits. But I don't. I've dabbled with agnosticism but it seems like a cop out.

Not believing in God or religion, and choosing instead to base your beliefs on steely, cold science, is manageable if it's just about your own relationship with those convictions. But I'm not ready to explain oblivion to children who believe in unicorns, Santa, and the tiny flying lady who buys your teeth when they fall out. While I happily feed my kids these fanciful lies (because they're fun and I know they'll grow out of them), I'm at the point now when my 6- and 4-year-old children want to know what the deal is with death.

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Ruth Margolis
Ruth ​Margolis is a British ​journalist living in the U.S. Her work has appeared in ​The Guardian, ​The ​Daily Telegraph and BBCAmerica.com.