Explaining Death To A Child: 5 Tips For Explaining The Loss Of A Family Member
As a parent, there are a million and one difficult things that you'll need to do throughout the course of your kid's young life. But explaining death to a child is one of the hardest things of all.
If you're trying to figure out how to do this right now after the death of a family member, it's important to go about it in the right way. You don't want your kid to be confused when it comes to death.
Here are five tips that'll help you out when explaining death to your child.
1. Be Direct
If someone in your family just died, you're going to have to sit down and talk to your child about it at some point. Do it sooner rather than later so that they don't hear the news from someone else.
When you begin explaining death to a child, don't beat around the bush. This could cause confusion and make a bad situation worse.
Instead, be direct and say something like: "I need to share some bad news with you. Grandpa died earlier today."
2. Prepare for Almost Any Reaction at All
Once you reveal that one of your loved ones has died, they're bound to have almost any reaction to the news.
Some kids will immediately start to cry after hearing about a loved one's death. Others will sit and stare at you blankly, unsure of what to say or do next.
It's your job to gauge your child's reaction and figure out what to do next. In some cases, a hug will suffice. In others, you'll need to continue to talk with your kids about death and what it means.
3. Encourage Your Child to Express Themselves
It doesn't matter how your child chooses to express themselves after hearing about a loved one's loss. The important thing is that they express themselves somehow.
Encourage them to talk to you about how they feel following a loved one's death. It'll give them a chance to share their emotions with you and get them out.
4. Get Ready to Answer Questions
Kids often have lots of questions about death once they're affected by it. Prepare to field questions from your child and provide the best answers you can.
Some common questions might include:
"Where do people go when they die?"
"Why do people die?"
"Will I ever see [your loved one's name] again?"
These questions aren't easy to answer. But you need to do your best and come up with something to put your child's mind at ease.
5. Consider Taking Your Child to Funeral Services
Deciding whether or not to take kids to funeral ceremonies is a personal choice for parents. Not every parent thinks their child is ready to attend funeral services.
Think about if your child could benefit from attending your loved one's services. They might be able to get a lot out of mourning a loved one's loss while surrounded by other family members.
Explaining Death to a Child Can Be a Challenging Experience
No matter how prepared you think you might be, explaining death to a child is never easy. But that shouldn't stop you from doing it anyway.
By doing so, you'll open up an important conversation with them. They'll be more likely to come and ask you additional questions about life and death as you move forward.
Read our blog to get more tips on talking to your kids about important issues.