As a parent I know it's hard because we like to idealize the experience that our kids have and that we wish for them to have.

I've come to understand death as a natural part of the cycle of life and this is what I want to impart to the next generation. It's natural to fear it, to not want to talk about it, to try and come up with alternate stories, to shield others from pain, but ultimately I think it's better to go into it with a realism and a positivity.

I loved my dog as a kid and was there and fully aware when it was clear her time had come. After the acknowledgement of the event it was good to let her go. I think back on her fondly and I know in some idealized version of a dog's wishes that she wouldn't want me to stop everything to grieve for too long. That's what I hope for my own loved ones about me. On balance she had a good life.