Losing a pet is the first time many children encounter death. The experience can become an opportunity for profound emotional learning and influence how young people understand and process grief when they are adults, according to psychologists and pet bereavement specialists.
Parents and guardians therefore have important roles to play when a family pet dies. Along with helping children accept the painful permanence of death, caregivers can guide kids through a healthy and healing mourning process that provides a foundation for coping with an inevitable part of life.
“People are so adverse to talking about death and grief, but it is the one thing that is guaranteed: We are all going to die. We need to be open to talking about that,” said Deirdra Flavin, CEO of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief.
Here are some things to consider when talking with children about death and supporting them through pet loss.
Depending on how old they are and their individual circumstances, children vary in their ability to comprehend the concept of death.
The way they
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