My 7yo asked me why God let his goldfish die

3w ago1 min read

So my son's goldfish Gerald passed away yesterday and he completely broke down. He asked me why God would let something he loved die. I didn't have some perfect answer ready. Told him that God gives us joy through pets and when they leave it hurts because we loved them, and that's actually a beautiful thing. We prayed for Gerald together and I let him ugly cry on me. Later he drew a picture of Gerald in heaven. Not sure I handled it right but felt like God was in that moment somehow. Any of you dealt with this?

3 comments179 views

Comments(3)

OOliver Q.Regular3w ago

Seven is such a hard age for big questions like that. I think it's okay to say you don't have all the answers and that it's normal to feel sad when we lose things we care about.

DDex J.Regular3w ago

That's such a tough question and you're doing the right thing by taking it seriously. I told my kids something similar when our dog passed - that love and memories don't go away even when the person or pet does.

JJordanNew Dad3w ago

Sorry you're going through this with your son, those are the conversations that catch you off guard. My oldest asked me something similar and I just let him know it's okay to be sad about Gerald.