Helping Your Child Cope With Pet Loss - 3 Tips To Help Children Ages 2-6
For many people, a pet is considered to be an important member of the family
. Losing a pet can, therefore, cause a substantial amount of grieving in a household. When there are children involved, special consideration should be made as this is often a child's initial exposure with death.In helping your child cope with pet loss, it is important to realize that everyone (including the parents) is going to be emotionally affected. You will need to convey to your children that it is okay to grieve. By showing your own emotions and grief, this sends a message that the pet was an extraordinary member of the family, and allows your children to also show their sadness and thus, start the healing process.
For children ages 2-6, the death of their pet will feel like the loss of a friend. A child may not see the death as something permanent. They may think their pet is asleep, or feel that bad behavior or anger directed towards the pet caused the death. By avoiding saying the pet has been "put to sleep," or "run away," you can minimize confusion or doubt. If you say that their pet's body no longer works and that the pet will not be returning, this helps keep the explanation simple.
The following three tips can give ideas on how to handle a pet's death with children ages 2-6:
1) inform your child's teachers about the pet loss in case there are any behavior changes
2) hold off on getting another pet until your child shows a desire for one
3) be open to having as many conversations as needed to allow your child to share his/her emotions and worries
Helping your child cope with pet loss will take some extra attention, however, children are generally able to accept their pet is gone and recover from the loss.
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