{"id":114753,"date":"2019-08-22T11:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T10:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=114753"},"modified":"2023-03-05T19:57:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-05T19:57:07","slug":"talking-to-children-about-death-and-dying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/talking-to-children-about-death-and-dying.htm","title":{"rendered":"Talking to Children About Death and Dying"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_114755\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5841979717_b25ea9c870-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-114755\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-114755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5841979717_b25ea9c870-4-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"how to talk to children about death\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5841979717_b25ea9c870-4-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5841979717_b25ea9c870-4-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5841979717_b25ea9c870-4.jpg 499w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-114755\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/wwworks\/5841979717\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">woodleywonderworks<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The only thing that is guaranteed in life is that one day we will die.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s a sobering thought, and it\u2019s also a subject that we still seem to find taboo. <strong>A<\/strong><strong>nd even more so when it comes to talking to children about death and dying. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">Writer and mother of four <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Stephanie Nimmo<\/strong> <\/span>experienced a double tragedy, losing her husband to cancer, and then 13 months later her daughter to a rare genetic disease. She shares her well-earned advice on talking to children about death, and helping them to navigate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/myths-about-grief-and-loss.htm\">grief and loss<\/a>. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">How much can children understand about death? <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Children understand a lot more than we give them credit for, and are<\/strong> often more open than adults when it comes to talking about death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong> They do, however, need to take their cues from adults about how to<\/strong> process the big confusing emotions when a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/loss-of-a-loved-one.htm\">loved one is actually lost<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Talking to children about death and dying <\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">1.Recognise that each child is unique. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">One child might be very fascinated about death and want to ask endless <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/good-questions-to-ask.htm\">questions<\/a>. Another child might prefer to talk less and do their own research.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">2. Tailor how you share news about illness and dying to each child. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/raise-independent-children.htm\">your children<\/a> are of varying ages, it might not be the best idea to gather them together to share news of a sick relative or a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/symptoms-of-bereavement-how-to-cope.htm\"> bereavement<\/a>. Consider what environment each child is most relaxed in, and how much information they will individually be able to understand. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For example, a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/teenage-brain.htm\"> teenager<\/a> might feel most comfortable having a chat when out for a drive together. Whereas a younger child with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/learning-disabilities-vs-learning-difficulties.htm\">learning difficulty<\/a> might need minimal information offered during play time. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">3. Don\u2019t overburden your child with information. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/being-honest-does-it-matter.htm\">It\u2019s important to be honest<\/a> but not overwhelm a child with more information than is appropriate for their age.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"> If a relative is sick and will eventually die, but the &#8216;when&#8217; is uncertain? Be honest about the illness and allow your kids to ask questions and take it from there. There is no need to share, for example, your own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/signs-of-anxiety-disorder.htm\">anxiety<\/a> that the loved one might die soon. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">4. Be open to any and all questions &#8211; at any time. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Some children might need time to process and not have questions until far later. Don\u2019t press your child to respond or ask questions immediately. Give them the space they need, and keep the door to questions open. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">5. Normalise the process of death. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Keep reassuring your child that death and dying, as well as bereavement and grief, are a natural process. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">6. Do not use euphemisms. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Saying things like \u201cgone to a better place\u201d is very confusing for any child. Try to be direct and avoid any doubt with the language you use. \u201cDying\u201d might be more helpful for a child than \u201cpassing away\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">7. Acknowledge their fears. <\/span><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_114758\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/34860738_34063b58db.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-114758\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-114758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/34860738_34063b58db-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"How to talk to children about death \" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/34860738_34063b58db-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/34860738_34063b58db.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-114758\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/indi\/34860738\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Indi Samarajiva<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">And acknowledge their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/fears-and-phobias.htm\">fears<\/a> around the subject, especially fears around their own death. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">Reassure them that just because someone they loved has died, it doesn\u2019t mean that they will die soon too.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Navigating bereavement and grief with children <\/span><\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">1. Be guided by your child. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Do not assume that he or she will not want to see the body or attend the funeral. It&#8217;s an important part of a child&#8217;s grieving process to feel that they were able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-take-a-decision.htm\">make decisions<\/a> and have choices.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">2. Decide together on your own way of saying goodbye. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This might be putting flowers in the hair of your loved one after they have passed, and\u00a0 placing personal mementos into a coffin. Or it might be just talking about the person you have lost, looking at pictures and reminiscing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">3. Allow your children to be part of the funeral. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Consider allowing children to do things like read poems if they would like to.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">4. Be open and honest with all your emotions.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For a child to be able to work through their grief they need to know it\u2019s okay to give in to their emotions.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 Model to<\/span> them that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/crying-for-no-reason.htm\">it\u2019s okay to cry<\/a>, but also to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/laughter-does-it-really-improve-your-psychological-health.htm\">laugh<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/anger-in-children-how-can-you-help.htm\">Anger<\/a> is okay too, show them how to navigate it in healthy ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">5. Talk about your own bereavement process. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Share if you are seeing a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/bereavement-counselling-london.htm\"> bereavement counsellor<\/a> and how that is going for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">6. Develop social stories.<\/span><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_114760\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-114760\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-114760\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/lindy-baker-hU6L_FxdNC8-unsplash-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"talking to children about dying\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/lindy-baker-hU6L_FxdNC8-unsplash-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/lindy-baker-hU6L_FxdNC8-unsplash-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/lindy-baker-hU6L_FxdNC8-unsplash-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/lindy-baker-hU6L_FxdNC8-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-114760\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by Lindy Baker<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Very small children often do not have the vocabulary to talk about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-listen-to-yourself.htm\">big feelings<\/a> around grief. Social stories help them articulate those feelings by saying the words for them, and showing that you understand how they feel. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Memory boxes, photographs, videos\u2026are all important to help the child remember<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/being-happy-why-is-it-so-hard.htm\"> happy<\/a> times and focus on the life their loved one lived, and not the just their death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">7. Use ritual and symbols. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Doing something symbolic like planting seeds or lighting a candle helps give them some sort of closure.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">8. Do not assume they need grief counselling immediately.<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Your child may seem to be coping well for the first year, and it may be years later that they need to talk about what happened. Encourage them to talk about feelings and to ask for help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">9. Keep the conversation open. <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Talk about the person who has died, remember them. Mark anniversaries, birthdays, mention them at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/christmas-blues.htm\">Christmas<\/a>. Children can feel afraid of talking about someone who has died in case it upsets the adult, but this can reassure them and encourage them to talk when they need to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Do you or your child need support with grief and bereavement? We connect you with top grief counsellors and child psychologists in central London. Or find a <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\">UK-wide registered counsellor<\/a><\/span> on our<a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"> booking site<\/span><\/a>, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/therapists?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=harleytherapy.co.uk&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">online therapists<\/span><\/a> that help you wherever you may live.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Want to share your own tip for talking to children about death and dying? Comment below.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-114570 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/0L0A1361_DxO_pp-267x400.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"121\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/0L0A1361_DxO_pp-267x400.jpeg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/0L0A1361_DxO_pp-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/0L0A1361_DxO_pp-400x600.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/0L0A1361_DxO_pp.jpeg 853w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 121px) 100vw, 121px\" \/>Stephanie Nimmo<\/strong>\u00a0is a freelance health journalist. She has written a memoir called\u00a0<em>Was This in the Plan?<\/em>\u00a0about caring for her disabled child and terminally ill husband, and a children\u2019s book called\u00a0<em>Goodbye Daisy<\/em> which supports children grieving the death of a loved one. Find her on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wasthisintheplan.co.uk\/p\/all-about-me.html\">her blog<\/a>, on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephnimmo\">Twitter.<\/a> and on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/stephnimmo\/\">\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The only thing that is guaranteed in life is that one day we will die.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sobering thought, and it\u2019s also a subject that we still seem to find taboo. And even more so when it comes to talking to children about death and dying. Writer and mother of four Stephanie Nimmo experienced a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":114755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,296],"tags":[381,11,180],"class_list":["post-114753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grief-and-loss","category-parenting","tag-bereavement","tag-grief","tag-grief-counselling","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Talking to Children About Death and Dying - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Talking to children about death and dying is important, particularly if there is an impending bereavement for your family. 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