There is a time in (almost) every child’s life when they briefly become obsessed with death, much to their parents’ delight.

It’s only natural that they should take an interest. Death is a very common part of life and, sadly, many of us will experience the death of loved ones or pets when our children are young. They might also come across the concept – or at least mention of it – in movies or books.

According to psychotherapist Anna Mathur, young children (around the age of four) tend to experience a cognitive leap which “brings with it a growing awareness that life itself has an end”.

At the same time, their imaginations are expanding rapidly, she explained, “so they’re naturally curious about concepts like death, heaven, infinity (space) or disappearing forever”.

While some parents have dubbed it the “morbid stage”, the expert told HuffPost UK this curiosity around death is developmental. Some kids just really want to learn more.

“They’re trying to make sense of something abstract and mysterious in the only way they know how... through asking questions in their straight-up way,” she noted, adding that it can feel “confronting” as an adult when you’ve learnt culturally to tackle death in a certain way.

Recently a parent shared on Reddit that their son,........

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