[SallyintNorth]

I feel hardly able to comment not having children of my own, but no-one else has commented yet so I'll have a go!

It is good for them, of course.  They will learn to take death in their strides much earlier than the majority.  Not to be immune from the pain of loss but to cope with it.

Too many parents these days seem to want to protect their children from all possible distress.  That is not good for them.  They grow up expecting to be able to sue someone for every little hurt that comes their way, rather than accepting that you get some knocks as you go along.

[little blue]

sometimes I wonder if this lifestyle is good for them or possibly harmful, I don't know 

yes you do .... think it through...

you have wonderful, mature children who have direct experience of the biggest fact of life of all (death) and who are resiliant enough to accept it when it happens ... and get back to normal childhood things like playing.
And I've heard enough about their choices of friends & acceptance of different cultures to know that they will be the peace-makers of the future, rather than the narrow minded rule makers that their peers may be.

(enough eulogising woman, there's things to be done!!)

[plumseverywhere]

Yes, I know you are right - was having a wobble this morning. Its been a pants week!

thanks for the kind words x

[shetlandpaul]

unless the kids experience these things when young and even more so death of family members they will not be as well adapted to cope with death of those closer to them. so helping to look after sick and helping to dispose of the dead pets in a small way prepares them for when we pop our clogs. so no your kids are not suffering when in the past they would have seen death around them all the time from the older extended family to the pigs and other animals on the farm. So i would say your helping your kids its better to have a real understanding of life/death.