It's pretty normal for kids to go through that at various ages. Often times gifted kids have pretty intense feelings and strong imaginations so the thought of death is even more scary. They often don't want to talk about it or think about it because that makes there mind go even more and become more anxious about it. It is tough because sometimes the more you bring it up (in attempt to ease their anxiety) the more anxious they become. I deal with this issue a lot as I am a school counselor with 4's and 5's. I would suggest reading a book on the topic about the natural process of death and the life cycle. I haven't heard of the one bonusmom mentioned but something like that sounds good. That may bring up discussion and if not, that's okay. I would say to her at some point that you noticed that when you bring it up she doesn't want to talk about it and that is okay...but if she ever wants to or has any questions then you could figure it out together. That opens the door but doesn't make her feel she has to talk about it or make her feel like it is a huge deal that she needs to be worried about. Has she had any other experiences of death before (family members or pets, etc.)? I remember last year DS5 got anxious when he heard about Heaven because he wanted to stay with us and didn't want to go. We had to explain that most likely wasn't going to happen for a while and that most people live very long lives. But it is hard because you can't make promises either. Good luck, hopefully anxiety about this will get better in time. : )
