Death is one of the hardest lessons that your kids will have to learn. It includes not only understanding what occurs, but also the emotions that can be experienced. Here are some ways to help you teach your children about the importance of life and death.
Rethink Your Vocabulary
Children don’t have as large of a vocabulary as adults. You may think that they do because they can repeat things back to you, but it doesn’t have the same impact as smaller words. The age of your children will also have to be taken into consideration. Use simple and straightforward words when talking about death. Don’t try to use euphemisms with your kids. Sugar coating things can make it harder for your kids to form the connections.
Encourage Questions
One of the hardest things when explaining death to your kids is their endless questions. This is their way of trying to wrap their minds around the idea of death itself. They may even ask things that can be hurtful to you. This isn’t always intentional on their part. It’s simply their way of trying to fit this concept into the world around them. You need to be prepared to endure their questions, and be as honest as possible. Remember to examine your vocabulary during this time.
Cite Examples to Give Significance
Explain what will occur once someone has died. Use the correct terminology. Things like cremation, burial, and funeral are foreign concepts for younger children. Explain what each word means in the simplest manner possible. Talk about relatives or pets that have died. You need to tie this concept to something that’s concrete for them. Movies do a terrible job explaining death to kids. Some movies even portray deceased characters as being magically brought back to life. You have to fix this misconception.
Talk about Emotional Impacts
Don’t forget to deal with the emotional impacts that surround the death of a loved one. If your children are particularly empathic, this is where you want to focus a lot of your efforts. Consider discussing the stages of grieving so that your children don’t feel taken aback by what they’re experiencing. Explain to them that this normal, and that there isn’t anything wrong with them. They may not be able to express their emotions to you in the appropriate manner.
Make yourself available for any follow-up questions. Your children may still be struggling with the concept of death even weeks after it has occurred.
