As if losing a pet is not hard enough, you may have to face the task of explaining the death of a family pet to a child. The way you handle this depends on the child’s age and maturity level. According to www.homevet.com, children under 4 years old are not likely to have much concept about death. Children older than 4 may grasp the concept and display grief through aggression, anger and fearfulness.
Step 1
Pick a comfortable place to talk with your child. Avoid mentioning the death casually over dinner, and instead, sit with your child somewhere private and comfortable, such as the bedroom.
Step 2
Choose your words carefully. Kids Health recommends not telling your child the pet got put to sleep or went to sleep. This may give your child fears about sleep.
Step 3
Tell your child the truth. Do not lie and state that the pet ran away. If your child later finds out the truth, she may feel angry and resentful. Instead, explain in a brief way what happened to the pet.
Step 4
Answer any questions that your child may have. When a pet dies, your child may have some hard questions for you, including why the pet died and if you will die. For example, if the pet was ill, you can let your child know it was given a shot and died peacefully without pain and fear, suggests Kids Health. Reassure your child that it is very unlikely that you will die.
Step 5
Honor the pet. Help your child deal with her grief by sharing treasured stories of the pet. Say a prayer together for the pet or put together a ceremony to say goodbye.
