the younger she is the less shocked she will be. Tell her now and be as matter of fact as possible.
I'd probably start out, "Before you were born, Grandma did some things that she shouldn't have done and now she is being punished for those things and has to be in jail. then explain that being in jail is like a looooooooong time out. let her take it from there, and answer all of her questions as honestly as you possibly can. the briefer and the more matter of fact you are, the better she will take it.
If you wait until she is older she will be more upset and possibly use it as an excuse to act out. You know how dramatic adolescents can be.
I'm not one to keep skeletons in the closet, they tend to come out at the most inopportune times.
Good luck
Quote:
Originally Posted by pepe mint  ok, i am about to reveal something about myself that you ladies do not know... I hope you will all have an open heart and mind and know that this has only affected my life in a positive way...helping me to stay on a straight path in life. My mother has been in prison since I was about 10 years old (off and on) this last time, because of repeated parole violations, she has been in for 12 years. She is SUPPOSED to come home in 2011. Well, we are in Tx visiting her. I come every year for her birthday. My 6 year old daughter comes too. We have always told her that we were going to gramma's work to visit her... Because we didn't feel she would understand what prison is or that gramma is a good person who did bad things a long time ago. Well, she is getting older and asking questions. She wants to know why we can't go to gramma's house, why gramma can't come to our house, why she cant go shopping with us, etc. I know I need to talk to trinity and explain things to her but I just don't know how. What do u think?? I am telling myself that it will probably go smoother than I think but I'm nervous  |