When do you tell a child that his/her parents

Definitely not that young. I have to agree with only telling them what is needed at the time, such as when they will see them next. Part of my answer would also depend on how long it is expected to last. But a 2 & 5 year old don't even know what the word "addiction" means, I don't expect.

Mommy and Daddy are sick and trying to get better. How difficult for everyone. I hope they are trying to get better. If they're not, you have to tell the kids they're sick.

Keep it simple. I'm sure I'd get the advice of a psychologist as well.

That is an interesting question. We can all give our opinions, but I think this is something a therapist or member of the clergy might have an answer to. My initial reaction is to say that mommy or daddy isn't feeling well, but that might lead to fears of sickness or something. (Especially if both of them are "sick" -- I might start wondering when I was going to get sick, too, at that age.

Are they placed with their grandparents pursuant to a court order? If so, there should be some social workers involved in the case who might be able to help figure that out, if nothing else with a referral to an appropriate therapist.

I would start now with the truth. No, a 2 year old doesn't understand the word "addiction" but a 5 year old can understand a simple explanation of what an addiction is. Give them the gift of a vocabulary they can use to understand and explain the world they live in even though it is not a pleasant sweet world.

Don't tell them their parents are "sick" because then every time someone is physically sick they will worry it means that person will go away too. Using a euphemism like "sick" is to make it easy for you, not them.

You are the one with the emotionally baggage tied to the word addict over the word sick. The children do not have that baggage. The five year old, and eventually the 2 year old, will have questions about what an addict is. Explain to them factually and non judgmentally. Explain it means they can't take care of a child right now so they have been placed where they are loved and taken care of. I wouldn't make promises (even accidentally implied ones) that someday mommy and daddy will get well and come get them.... that may happen but it may not. Just affirm that they are loved where they are at, and that their parents love them even if they can't take care of them. Yes, you will probably end up explaining some things about drug use you'd rather not. But knowledge is power for anyone and by being truthful from the outset no one has to worry about the secrets coming to light later. There are no secrets.

There is no reason to tell them. They won't understand it at this age. It will just create confusion.

All anyone has to say is that the parents are not able to take care of them right now.

Signed, someone who deals with kids in life-and-death situations on a daily basis.

I am a legal academic, so it is about drug law and policy.  My general thesis has been that we have been more rational about drug policy in the past fifteen years or so, although that rationality is driven by budgetary constraints and weariness as much as anything.  Unfortunately you'd need to have a subscription to a legal research service to read them, but I have a book proposal that I am shopping around right now so hopefully some of my research will become more broadly available at some point .

The grandmother who is raising the children should be the one to answer the question, not you.

What specifically are the children asking?

For that age, simply saying "Mom and Dad are getting help and can't live with you right now" is sufficient. Children of that age don't need to know the specifics of the "why".

I've worked in child welfare and that is along the lines of what we say or the parents say to kids when we have to remove them from the parents' custody.

That sounds interesting just a thought and you mean not even write about these things but I have a friend who has dabbled in drugs her entire life. Not to the point of it being a problem but she knows many people who are. The thing is in our area they have put such a crackdown on prescription pain meds (I even have trouble getting mine and my injuries are well documented it's just a bunch of hoops. Anyway in the last month 12 people have od'd on heroin (it was apparently a very pure batch) they were used to crap street heroin but because they can no longer get prescriptions drugs they are getting their high on whatever is available. Our drug problem in this country (and others as well) is bad. It fascinates me although it seems morbid the drug sites where people talk about all the ways they get high and what they will do. My own brother is a recovering heroine addict although he has now been clean for 8 years he said the inner pull never completely goes away and sometimes for no reason it pops up, could be a song or something that reminds him of that time. It's scary stuff.