It lasted a long time for us, too. We lost a son when ds was 3.5. We talked and talked and talked about death : bodies, cremation, embalming, graves, heaven, God, causes of death, near-death experiences, average lifespans. We were honest with him when we didn't know. We have a belief in heaven, but still had more "we don't knows" than certainties. Mostly ds wanted to know that he was safe, and we told him we would do everything in our power to keep him safe and healthy (as with ourselves). I agree that there are many wonderful books for kids on death and dying. Kids sometimes force us to look where we would rather not. But that isn't all terrible.
