Death is one of the most difficult subjects to talk about with a child. In particular, announcing the loss of someone from the child’s close circle creates a lot of anxiety on parents. So how do we talk about death with the child?
▪️First of all, this situation should not be given by a specialist, but by the child’s closest friend in an environment where he/she feels safe. You can use it by telling a story that a flower first turns green and then fades over time.
▪️ Since the child will feel your feelings, you should calm yourself first. Your anxiety will worry him too.
▪️ The death situation should be explained to the child using words such as “died, passed away”. Phrases such as “God took him, He went far…” will confuse the child.
▪️Explanations such as “He has gone far away, Heaven is watching us” may cause the child to think and expect that the deceased will come back.
▪️ Children under the age of 12 should be kept away from the burial process and the busy funeral environment.
▪️ Visiting the cemetery after a few days will relax the child. The child who sees the cemetery will embody death in his mind. In this way, the ambiguity of the abstract concept of death is avoided.
▪️ The child worriedly “Are you going to die too?” he may ask. You can calmly talk about “You are with him now, you will always protect him, the good days you will live in the future”.
▪️ After this explanation, if the child ignores the death situation, avoids experiencing his feelings or gets extremely angry, he constantly says, “You know, my mother/father died.” If you are making sentences like this, if you have behavioral problems, you should get expert support without wasting time.
