One of the best pieces of advice I received from an Elementary School Counselor, "Tell them the truth.  Tell them just enough.  And let their questions guide you to how much they want to know."  I could hug that woman every time I remember that.

Regarding "normal", without all of the muck, crap, and heart wrenching occurrences, odds are good that I would have missed out on a boatload of love, lessons of patience, and gathering of wisdom.  I'll take Abnormalville anytime - the people are honest, all lives have ups and downs, and everyone has some dandelions . . . and all of the dandelions are accepted.

Oh and "Navigating childhood without blinders, parenthood without reigns" - Brilliant.