How to talk about death with your children
Death is a topic that must be discussed with children so that they can understand it since it is part of life.
One of the most delicate topics in talking with a child is without a doubt that of death . It is normal that at a certain age the little one begins to ask about everything including the subject of death. This is a difficult subject for parents themselves to deal with as many feelings come into play. However, it is a topic that must be discussed with children so that they can understand it since it is part of life. Then we give you a series of guidelines that you must follow when sitting down with your child and talking about a subject as delicate as death.
Index
YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO ANSWER
Death should not be a taboo subject as is the case with sex and respond with total ease to all the questions that the child asks us. We must clarify all the doubts that the little one has without giving more explanations than those requested.
EXPLAIN CLEARLY AND SIMPLY
It is not the same to talk about death with a 5-year-old child than with an 8-year-old. Their ability to understand is not the same and there will be things that the older person understands that the 5-year-old does not understand. That is why when talking about the subject it is best to do it in a clear and simple way. It is not necessary to get into the subject so thoroughly and with a close language that it comes to understand what death consists of.
TALK ABOUT DEATH ACCORDING TO THE AGE OF THE CHILD
Follow these tips to be able to talk about death with your children depending on how old they are:
- Before the age of two, death is not comprehensible at all and the child will not understand anything. He does not get to empathize and still does not perceive the feelings as he will in the future, so it is not worth making him understand what death consists of.
- From two years to five years of age they have a concept of death that is not close to the real one. They believe that it is reversible and impersonal so it is difficult for them to understand it. It is normal that during this age they begin to ask themselves questions that parents must answer at all times.
- From the age of five to nine, the child is already capable of understanding what death consists of. They begin to understand that people are not immortal and that in the end they die . However, at these ages they see death as something distant that cannot affect them in a personal way. It is quite normal that during these years many questions are asked that parents must know how to answer
- From the age of nine they already fully understand what death consists of and that at some point in life they will also die like the people closest to them. This will cause them to want to find meaning in life and face death with the odd fear.
PARENTS MUST NOT LIE
When talking about death, parents should never lie to their children and talk about it clearly and concisely. On many occasions, parents try to reduce the drama of a subject as complicated as death and try to soften the subject. It is useless to tell them lies since in time they will end up knowing everything that surrounds death.
The subject of death is a moment that parents fear that it will come as it is considered as something taboo as it happens with sex or with certain diseases such as cancer. It is a moment that you have to know how to face and speak naturally with your children.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.