Parents: When should a parent tell his/her child about life & death?
**At what age ** of the child should a parent tell his/her child that he(the kid) is not invincible, and that he can be sick someday or experience pain & suffering, or meet an accident and die?
Also, what are the **exact words ** that you're going to tell your kids to make them understand & accept.
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As soon as possible. Remember to be gentle.
Instruction:
I believe you've posted this in a wrong section.
Anyway, I think you should tell your child the first time he experiences someone's death. It could be a hamster, an old neigbour ot even a parent, it doesn't matter. Of course, telling about the pain is really unneccessary. Just the fact that everybody's life ends one way or another.
I think it's important to be honest with children about that kind of thing. Tell them as soon as they are able to understand.
Incidentally, this might better be posted in the Telltale Talk section.
Just saying!
I second InKennyWeTrust. There's no specific age, but the death of a relative is probably a good time.
I'd focus more on that the person has gone away to another world / god and that maybe one day you would see them again rather than the exact how and why.
Priceless
Lol my mother told me that when people was too old they would go to sleep and never wake up... when I was two years old. I asked her when was my turn because I didn't want to wake up in the morning either. She laughed and everything continued as normal. I think they should tell them as soon as possible, but it depends in the place they live in. If they live in a big city, then parents should make sure their children will be careful enought to check the trafic and not look at strangers in the eyes. If they live in a small town, the I think they can wait some more time. But always soon.
I'm 34 and not only did no one ever tell me but i didn't need them to. I guess i learned and understood on my own.
Clementine is my daughter
I feel like this might be helpful, if you don't know what to say.
As soon they can understand.
Based on their age, i would pick different words, but overall, simply tell them the person or animal that died is in a better place now. Even if you personally don't believe in afterlife, you shouldn't beat their hopes like that.
If they are around 12+, you should be more direct, and say, that 'if' there is an afterlife they are in a better place, but if there is not... We can't do anything about it. Life is harsh, but the ones who died surely would like us to be happy.
There is no point in lying about death.
He eventually learns about it from tv and social network/internet in this era
From the very beginning. I was never ready for death, nobody prepared me, and in the past 2 years I've lost more people than anybody should in their early life. I wasn't ready for it, I never was, and people need to be ready for it.