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Why shielding children from death does more harm than good
Telling them ‘Grandpa’s gone to sleep’ can be confusing and lead to unhealthy behaviour. Here’s how to support them so they can grieve the loss.
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We may be doing more harm than good when we skirt around the truth or avoid the topic of death entirely, says the writer.
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Gracia Lim
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In my work supporting grieving families, I have often seen parents wrestle with the delicate task of explaining to a child that a loved one has died.
Take the case of a three-year-old boy I worked with, whom we’ll call A. His father had died on the operating table during the removal of a brain tumour.
