How to Teach Your Children to Cope With Death

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By danicutie1
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Child Grieving

Teach young children how th deal with the loss of a family member or friendd

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Teach your child that death is a part of life:

Children become aware of death at an early age. They become curious and want to talk about it. They may even as questions. Parents are reluctant to talk about death with their children because they believe that they are unable to handle it and aren't able to understand.

But avoiding the subject and not talking about death doesn't make it go away.
Step 2

Don't mislead:

A child that is told that "Grandpa just went to sleep" may become afraid of going to sleep.

Of course by telling your child this you don't intend to hurt them. But by shielding children from the true explanation of death we leave them to come up with their own explanation which may confuse them and deprive them of mourning.

Mourning the death of a pet or family member allows the child to grow and come to terms with pain and loss.
Step 3

Teach your child to live with death:

Instead of protecting your child from death help them prepare for it.

* Introduce your child to death at an early age
* Be honest in your explanations
* Encourage your child to express their feelings
* Let them know it's okay to cry
Step 4

Patience:

You may find that at first your child may not understand that death is final. This does not mean you should not talk about it. They will take in the information and eventually come to understand.

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