Children And Death

6 Pages 1387 Words

Introduction:
Children and Grief

Children can only conceive of death according to their stage of development. The children’s emotional understanding is not based entirely on their age. Therefore, children who have come into contact with the death of a loved one may have a greater understanding of the concept of death than other children their age.




As Children Grieve

Children’s interpretation of death will depend on the amount of knowledge they have acquired emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Children must learn that death is a final and last act, instead of one that can be reversed or avoided. Children’s ability to understand death happens through their experiences and their social interactions with others; therefore, children express grief differently. Thus, their actions and reactions are closely related to their developmental stage and understanding.
Very young children often view death as temporary. This belief is reinforced through television, especially through cartoon characters that die then comes back to life. As children get older they begin to understand the concept of death, but they think it will never happen to them or the people they know. Death should be explained to a child with an example that can be understood. A good example would be a flower and how long it last, then continue in accordance with the child’s ability to comprehend, since children response to death is different than adults. Therefore, a child sometimes believes that the deceased family member is still alive; however, long-term denial of death and grief can surface as psychological problems at a later time.
A child frightened to attend a funeral should not be forced to, but participation on some small scale is healthy. The act of saying a prayer or saying a soft good bye at the gravesite will help the child accept the death. After the child learns to accept the death,...