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Step 1
If your child is asking you about your age or even bluntly asking questions like, how long does grandma have to live, just be aware that they are feeling unsure and possible frightened. Take the time to talk to them one on one. Just five minutes of expressing their worries may all they need to be able to move on.
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Step 2
Limit radio and t.v. for your child during this time. Let them watch a DVD movie or take them to the movies. Spend the day at the park or beach. Give them a breather from the media will help them be able to cope and ignore it in the future.
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Step 3
Keep your children away from conversation that other people are having about Michael Jackson. Rumors and gossip can be frightening to children. Children may not have had any experience with death and they are only getting experience from adult conversation and since children take things to heart, they will become confused and even frightened by the gossip and believe it's real. They may not tell you that they don't understand or that they are having anxiety from it. Run interference and get them away from the conversation.
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Step 4
Check how you are reacting to his death. Are you talking to people on the phone about it? Are you going through your own steps of accepting his passing? Be aware that your children will be watching and listening to you, and you want to show them the proper way to grieve.
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Step 5
Saying goodbye can be closure for everyone. Whether it's a celebration, listening to his music, or saying a prayer, it can give you and your child the resolve that will allow them to pay their respects and subsequently mentally move on.
Comments
greatgreat8 said
on 6/30/2009 Great article, hard subject to talk with kids about 5*