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• Losses such as these are simply part of living. Like their counterparts among the joyful occasions in our lifetime – the birth of a child or grandchild, a celebration of marriage, an enduring friendship – they are part of what it means to share in the human experience. And the emotions they create in us are part of living, as well.
Talking to Children and Teens
When a loved one dies, it can be difficult to know how to help children cope with the loss, particularly as you work through your own grief. By being open and honest, encouraging communication and sharing your own feelings, you and your children cope with painful times and begin your healing journey together.
Children and Grief
A child’s ability to understand death varies according to his or her age.
Infants and toddlers feel a loss through the absence of a loved one, interruption in their regular routine and through the grief and stress they sense in their parents or other family members. Spend extra time holding and cuddling the child and try to keep them on a regular schedule as much as possible.
Younger children might have trouble understanding the permanence of death or differentiating between fantasy and reality. They also might believe death of a loved one is a form of punishment for something the child did. When you talk to young children about death, make sure to use concrete language, avoid euphemisms and reassure the child that the death is not a consequence of something he or she did.
Older children are beginning to understand the permanence of death and might associate it with old age or personify it in terms of frightening images or a cartoonish nightmare of some sort. They often know more about how the body works and have more specific questions. It’s important to answer their questions to the best of your ability and provide as much specific, factual information as possible.
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