DEAR ABBY: An 8-year-old boy in my daughter's class recently passed away. She's only in second grade, so I wouldn't expect her to fully grasp the meaning of death, but she understands it perfectly and is not upset one bit. Multiple times she has acknowledged the fact that her classmate is no longer present, and is actually somewhat cheerful about it. My husband and I are very worried. Is this normal behavior? -- CONCERNED MOTHER
DEAR CONCERNED: Children are often more resilient than they are given credit for. If your daughter wasn't particularly close to the child who died, his death may not have affected her deeply. Some children do not mourn the way adults do, and you should not expect her to.
Grief counselors may have spoken to the students about it, or they may have been given other opportunities to air their feelings. Because you are concerned, discuss this with her teacher, but I don't think you have anything to be worried about.