01/29/2019
Helping Children Through Pet Illness & Death: The death of a family pet is often a child's first experience with death and loss. Some helpful ideas are: 1. Be as honest as possible. Avoid euphemisms like, "put to sleep." These can be frightening and confusing to children (especially young children) who associate the word sleep with going to bed. 2. As a parent, it's natural to want to protect your child from any pain, including the pain associated with grief. Some parents think that a way to do this is to lie about the death of a pet. Fabricating reasons why a pet is no longer in the home leads to many other emotional effects, such as abandonment beliefs, a continued sense of hope for their return, and unresolved grief due to a loss not being recognized. Instead, be honest with your children about a pet's death. 3. Recognize that a pet's death is a significant loss for children and should not be trivialized or minimized. It is an important time for parents and other adults to teach children how to express grief in emotionally healthy ways free of shame or embarrassment. 4. Discover what the individual child is thinking. Be open and receptive to any questions/concerns that your child may have. Encourage him or her to ask the veterinarian questions that may occur. Remember, there are no stupid questions. WATCH VIDEO https://youtu.be/IuZ_j6FFxrg https://youtu.be/IuZ_j6FFxrg?t=198
Excellent video about how to help your kids with the loss of a loved pet