Periodically, parents and guardians contact me to ask for suggestions on talking to their children about the death of a loved one. Often, it is an aging family member. Other times, it is a cherished pet. Sometimes, the loss is unexpected. In response, I usually make the following recommendations:
I'm interested in hearing your experiences explaining death and loss to a child. Have you had to do it? What did you find worked well? What was the hardest part? How did you feel after the conversation? Please consider sharing your experiences by clicking on the comment link below this post.
- Be honest. Children, like adults, appreciate being told the truth.
- Answer questions, but be willing to say, "I don't know."
- It's ok for you to be sad. I think children find it validating to see the adults in their life express emotion when upsetting things happen.
- Talking about death is uncomfortable and scary. However, I often find that children take upsetting news better than we expect, and usually better than we do ourselves.
I'm interested in hearing your experiences explaining death and loss to a child. Have you had to do it? What did you find worked well? What was the hardest part? How did you feel after the conversation? Please consider sharing your experiences by clicking on the comment link below this post.
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