C.
I am a children's grief counselor. I think it's great you want to know more about how to talk to the girls about thier dad. It is important at their ages that they have someone they can talk to and they know they are not going to upset that person. They may be afraid to talk to mom because they feel they are responsible to help mom keep it together. However, before you do any of the following, clear it with mom first. She may also want to be a part of it. There are several things you can do with them, including reading books about the cycle of life, watching movies and talking about them, and doing crafts. One book I would suggest is called The Fall of Fready the Leaf. Disney movies often have an orphan or death in them -- think Lion King, Bambi, Snow White, Cinderella, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. You can watch these and talk about how real life kids can cope with the death of a parent. Crafts you can do include planting a seed in a pot they decorate themselves and talking about life cycles of all living things. They can make a scrapbook with you of pics and things that remind them of dad. Decorate a keepsake box. For other ideas or to get them into counseling or sign them up for a free summer camp for kids who have lost a loved one, I would suggest going to www.annieshope.org. Good luck.