For many children, their first experience with death is with a pet. Some parents are fearful to discuss death with their children or try to shield them from it. It is important not to shield children but to teach them within their comprehension and age, what death is. Losing a pet is a sad moment but also a learning moment like all loss. It teaches important life skills of how to adjust to loss with the death of future family, friends and other beloved pets. Please also review AIHCP’s Pet Los Grief Support Program
The article, “How To Explain A Pet’s Death To Your Child, Based On Age” by Megan Glossan looks at how to better talk to one’s children within certain age groups regarding pet loss. She states,
“When our children are young, our primary instinct is to protect them. So, we may think it’s a good idea to use gentle language when explaining a pet’s death to little ones. However, the experts at Family Education say this isn’t the best approach. Instead, they say you still want to use language that is direct and honest because they are actually less ambiguous. When you use words like “death” and “dying,” it’s less confusing and potentially traumatizing than saying your pet “went to sleep” or “stayed at the vet.”
To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review AIHCP’s Pet Loss Grief Support Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Pet Loss Grief Support.