When a member of your family passes away, explaining the situation to your child is difficult. Many adults avoid discussing such topics with their children entirely. However, it is important to have these conversations no matter how difficult they might be. Here are a few tips that will help:

• If someone passes away, it isn’t easy to speak about death, and many people try to avoid such topics. It far better to be completely honest with your child rather than avoiding speaking about the death.
• It is essential that you speak about this issue carefully and avoid saying things that might scare the child. You should be very clear that death is simply a part of life and not something that should be feared.
• Children will have to face such situations eventually, and it is best to take the opportunity and explain this to them. For example, if a pet passes away, it is important that you calmly explain to your child about what has happened. This will make it much easier for you to talk about this topic in case someone in your family passes away.
• It will be better to steer clear of philosophical concepts while you explain death to your child. It is important to keep your explanation simple, and tell your child that the deceased person will not come back to life.
• Being straightforward with your child is the best way to handle such situations. Being vague can confuse the child and this is not something you want to do. It is vital that your child has a clear idea of the concept of death.

At Charles J. O'Shea Funeral Homes, we provide comprehensive funeral services and can help you with all aspects of the process so if you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.