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{"id":2415,"date":"2014-12-17T06:14:02","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T12:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newwineskins\/?p=2415"},"modified":"2014-12-17T06:14:02","modified_gmt":"2014-12-17T12:14:02","slug":"how-to-talk-to-your-children-about-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newwineskins\/how-to-talk-to-your-children-about-death\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Talk to Your Children About Death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"12.17.14\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Death is always hard, but it\u2019s especially difficult for children to process. If you\u2019re a parent trying to help your kids process death, here are a few things to remember:<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t avoid it.\u00a0<\/strong>In today\u2019s digitally connected world, your child will unfortunately encounter death far earlier than you\u2019re comfortable with.\u00a0If you avoid the subject, your child will simply get information from somewhere else. Be proactive and have the conversation, as difficult as it will be, as unprepared as you might feel.<\/p>\n

2. Be honest. <\/strong>It\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t know all the answers. Answer what you know, clearly.\u00a0This isn\u2019t like the time your goldfish died and you got away with \u201cHe went to the fish doctor and he\u2019ll be back later,\u201d waiting for them to forget about it and move on. Euphemisms won\u2019t do it justice. Use clear terms. \u201cKobe died last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Let them see you grieve.\u00a0<\/strong>You don\u2019t have to hold it all together. It\u2019s okay if your child cries. It\u2019s okay if you cry. Death is always tragic. Mourning is a natural and healthy part of the grieving process. By them seeing you grieve, you\u2019re showing them the proper way to grieve themselves.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Talk about the afterlife.\u00a0<\/strong>As Christians, we believe that this world is not the end. If you\u2019re secure in the deceased\u2019s salvation, talk about your lost loved one in the present tense, not the past. They\u2019re not gone forever, they\u2019ve just gone ahead of us to heaven. They\u2019re waiting there for us.<\/p>\n

5. Always point to the hope we have in Jesus.<\/strong> Any time we talk about big issues like life and death, it\u2019s an opportunity to talk about the most important things in life. Talk about Jesus. Talk about God. Talk about heaven. Always point your child to the hope we have in Jesus. He will walk with us through the darkest valleys, no matter what age we are. Jesus can help your child grieve a loss in a way even you as a parent never could. Point your child to Jesus.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Focus on the Family for posting an article<\/a> that gave me several tips for this article.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"