How To Protect Your Child When They Lose Someone Close To Them

Nobody wants to deal with the death of a loved one, but when you have a child it’s even harder because you need to look after them too. They probably don’t have any idea what is happening, so you must make sure you approach it the right way. If you know what to say to your child it will make everything a little easier, so we’re going to look at a few things to keep in mind. You can’t stop them from hurting, but you can definitely help soften the blow.

Spare them the details

When someone close to your child dies you will need to tell them what happened. There is no point in putting off the inevitable, so don’t be scared to break the news. Just remember to leave out the details because they don’t need to know the ins and outs of everything. Once they are older they will learn what happened, but don’t upset them any more than you need to.

They’re not coming home

Sometimes children don’t understand what happens when someone dies and this is especially true when it’s someone close to them. They will probably expect them to walk through the door one day and when they don’t it’s going to be hard on them. You’re better making sure they know from the start that whoever died is not coming home.

In a happy place

We don’t know what happens to someone when they die. When you’re speaking to your child you should tell them their loved one has gone to a happy place. You can explain to them what heaven is or you can make something up, but just make sure they know it’s a happy place where the dead are at peace. This will give them a little bit of comfort which is exactly what they need.

They’ll never be forgotten

If you walked out the door one day your child would start to think you didn’t love them. There is obviously nothing someone can do to reassure their child once they’re gone, so it’s going to be up to you to make sure they know they will always be loved. Tell them they are being looked down upon all the time and their loved one is watching out for them from afar.

Give them a gift

When someone leaves us they will leave a lot of stuff behind and you need to decide what to do with it. You should let your child look through everything because they might want to pick something out to remember them by. If you have a little girl she might want to wear her mom’s jewelry, or if you have a little boy he might want to use his dad’s wallet.

Don’t rush things

Understand that it takes time to get over someone close to you dying, but when a child is involved it can take a little longer for everything to go back to normal. Younger children usually get back to normal quickly, but if you have an older child they will take longer to process everything. They might start to get angry or depressed, so look after them and give them time.

Life will get back to normal

Life will obviously never be the same and the person who died will always be remembered, but everything is going to turn out okay. It could get quite bumpy for a while and you just have to be prepared to deal with anything that comes up. Remember to look after yourself too because if you let your life slip away from you it could affect your children in a negative way.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source

Today’s feature writer, John Cane, is an accountant by profession. He works at All State Cremation which offers simple cremation services in Cheshire, Connecticut. He works hard and indulges in archery and mountain biking during his leisure time.

Related articles

• Benefits Of Psychotherapy For Kids (simplysenia.com)