Letting a Child Know of a Death

Letting anyone know about the death of a loved one is difficult, but it can be even more so if you have to tell your child. If that is the case, you want to be sure that you know exactly what can help with this conversation and what can ensure that your child understands what has happened. There are a number of things that directors of funeral homes in Adelphi, MD want you to remember.

You want to use clear language when you speak with a child about the death of a loved one. Many parents think that it is better to use euphemisms to soften the news, but that can actually be more problematic. It can confuse a child to hear things like “passed away” instead of “died”. To avoid having that kind of confusion make everything more difficult, it is best to turn to clear language.

Another thing you want to remember is to allow your child to ask questions. They are bound to have some and you always want to encourage them to ask what they want to know. Give answers that are honest and clear. If you do not know the answer to a question, you want to tell your child exactly that and that you will do your best to find out the answer. Keep that in mind.

Your child may be unsure if they can express what they are feeling. Lots of children worry about upsetting adults by letting them know they are sad. By letting your child know that you are going through the same thing, they will feel like they can speak about what they are feeling. This can be a huge help for the child, so do consider that as you have this conversation.

You also want to think about giving your child the option of attending the services you are planning for the person. If your child is old enough to understand death and what a service is, they can benefit from attending one. Do remember that you never want to force your child to go if they do not want to. This can make things worse.

When letting your child know about the death of a loved one, you want to remember all of these things. It can be crucial to consider the way you want to word death and the kind of answers you will give your child about death. If you think your child is old enough to attend a service, you definitely want to give them the option to do so, since that can be a great help. If you want to know more about how to tell your child about the death of a loved one, you can reach out to an Adelphi, MD funeral home like us at Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A. We are ready to answer any questions that you may have so do reach out to us. Give us a call right now or stop by our location.