Parental Ability Gap

For the first time yet I found myself missing the ability to know what to do as a parent last night. Five year old was visibly down and appeared on the verge of tears. Gentle coaxing ensued to ascertain the cause. I wasn't expecting the reason he gave. He doesn't want his Grandad to die. In my naivety I thought he had been shielded from the fact that Grandad was seriously unwell, but with hindsight I guess the clues were there. Fewer visits, him not being allowed to be quite so rough playing anymore etc. etc. What prompted this mini depression still remains a mystery, I can only assume something was discussed at school. Generally he has the attention span of all five year olds, slightly more than a goldfish. Although he has begun saying that we shouldn't kill any of God's creatures, again probably prompted by some school activity. He's growing up fast, and I need to start learning how to deal with that, fast.