St. Francis - St. Maximilian Parish at 62811 New Haven Road, Ray, MI 48096 US - Talking to Kids About Death

Whether prompted by the loss of a grandparent, the death of a pet, a news story about the fatal illness of a celebrity or simply a walk past a cemetery, worries about death arise early in life.

Here’s how to talk to your children about it:

• It’s okay to wait for a life event that raises questions of death for your kids. You don’t have to rush to bring up the topic. Just resolve not to avoid it.

• When an event, experience or a question from your son or daughter brings death center stage, take that as the invitation to increase their comfort with it.

• Children fear isolation and abandonment. They commonly worry about whether a parent might die. Reassure them that after anyone dies, the people who loved that person help one another and make sure they’re okay.

• Honor the power of memory. Tell children that as long as anyone who has lost a pet or a friend or a relative remembers the relationship, there must still be a powerful connection between them. Love doesn’t die when the object of the love is gone.

• Share whatever elements of your faith have sustained you.

Information provided by the Chippewa Valley Coalition for Youth and Families - 723-2360