Questions tagged [death]

Questions dealing with death, whether it be a specific person or pet, or a general discussion of how to broach this difficult subject with children.

Death affects us all.
Many young children will ask the question of "What happens when we die?"

Most children, who have pets, will experience the death of a pet at some time.

Children frequently experience the death of a grand parent, some a parent or a sibling. These all greatly impact the family unit and challenge the ability to parent.

The death of another child, friend or neighbour, also impacts children.

Children are confronted with death through the media, whether it be within atrocities, war, or local news headlines. This can present issues for parents.

Death can create or enhance many complex emotional, mental, spiritual, cultural and social difficulties. It can be regarded as a somewhat taboo subject within some societies, which can be challenging when parenting children.

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At what age should I tell my daughter that her real mother is dead?

Long story short: my first wife passed away while giving birth to my daughter. Two years later, I've remarried, but I am concerned over when should I tell my daughter the truth about her mother. My daughter is now 3 years old, and she's calling my…
TheByeByeMan
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Lying to my daughter about her mother's death

My 10-year-old daughter's mother died last week. She was a masochist and suffered from depression and childhood issues. She, from what I understand, hung herself in her closet from a belt. I'm not sure if she intended to kill herself or if she was…
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How to prepare children for impending death of a parent?

My wife has been told that she has a limited amount of time left due to an illness, the average life expectancy is 7-8 years after onset, of which we have used up 7. With excellent management, and slow progression of the disease, people have been…
A. Waiting
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How to handle disclosing a parent's suicide to friends and their parents

I have three children 12, 13 and 19 and their father committed suicide 10 years ago (when they were 1, 3 and 9). They have suffered through many childhood taunts, at times, including: "Your father killed himself because he didn't want to look after…
user21179
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Telling a child about a playmate's death

My grandson is 4 1/2. My family attends a small church so all the families are fairly close to each other. This weekend, one family lost their 8 year old son in a drowning accident. My daughter would like some advice about informing her son about…
B. Goddard
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How should I talk to my child about death?

How should I explain death to a child under 5-6 years old if a close family member or friend dies?
J.J.
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How do I explain to a 4 year old that our family pet is sick and needs to be put down?

My son loves our 9 year old cat very much. The cat was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer a couple of months ago, and has reached the point where we will soon need to make arrangements to put the cat down and end its suffering. My son doesn't…
Jonathan DeCarlo
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What to do when a 6-year-old expresses suicidal thoughts?

A mom at my daughter's school told me that her son told her that my 6-year-old daughter told him that she doesn't like herself and wants to kill herself. I'm really not sure how to approach this with my daughter. She definitely is the sort of…
brendan
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How to help children cope with a parent's suicide?

I've asked another question here: How to handle disclosing a parent's suicide to friends and their parents I've noticed that this question here: What are some strategies for helping children cope with divorce? It seems many children can be badly…
user21179
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How and when to disclose to children a parent's suicide?

My children's father committed suicide 10 years ago, when they were aged 9, 3 and 1. At the time of his death I did not want them to know how he died, but it became such public knowledge I was forced to disclose this to my oldest child, as I did not…
user21179
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How to prepare children for impending death of a parent?

My mother is expected to die within coming days/weaks/months (final phase of cancer). I have an 11 year old sister - how can I help her? What would be a good idea to suggest to my father and older sister to do in that situation? My 11 year old…
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Preparing a 3-year old for the death of a sibling

We've got two daughters, aged 2 and 3. Our youngest has been battling with cancer for the past year and we've recently discovered that she has relapsed. At the moment we are still waiting for staging scans, but given the aggressiveness of her cancer…
PainlessDocJ
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Take a 3 year old to funeral?

Would you take a 3 and a half year old girl to the funeral of her great-granddad? She knows about death and heaven... Death belongs to life, right? On the other hand, I don't want to overstrain her... Edit: I would like to share my experience…
Magier
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How to address with a child that a deceased actress appears in an upcoming movie?

My 7-year-old daughter is a big Star Wars fan and has loved Princess Leia through all of the movies she has appeared in. In discussing it with her, she already knows that the woman who played Princess Leia died recently. But I'm concerned that she…
psubsee2003
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How to (or should I even try to) break a zombie fixation for a three-year-old

I have two boys, one eleven, and one three. I don't know exactly how or when, but the 11-year-old has decided that it was a good idea to explain the the 3-year-old all about zombies. Of course he left out any meaningful discussions about death,…
zugzwang
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