728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Pets › Losing a Pet

Losing a Pet

Tips for Soothing Kids' Grief

By Jennifer Lacey

Pages:  1  2  3  

Be Honest and Keep Things "Normal"
Honesty is the best policy,says Thomas M. Reimers, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Feeding and Growth Clinic at Children's Hospital in Omaha, Neb. "Children may think that the animal will return, or have some other fanciful idea about what happened to the animal," he says."Parents need to be honest by telling their child that the animal has died and will not come back."

Keeping your child's typical everyday routine is vital during your time of loss. "Children feel most secure when their routines are the same and predictable; this will create increased security on the part of the child," Reimers says.

When your child learns about the concept of death when a pet passes away, it will not, however, lessen the impact of how much it hurts to lose something they loved. Make sure that your little one knows that there are many ways that he or she can remember their special companion.

Remembering Their Friend
Linda Davis, a mother of two toddlers from Westchester, N.Y., recalls that when Petunia, the family fish, died, she thought that it would be a good idea to sit down with her two girls and make a memory book. "My girls are always drawing, and I thought that creating pictures together of Petunia would be a good way to get them to open up and express their thoughts," Davis says.

Creating a memory book of special times shared not only can help to explain the joys and sorrows of life and death, but can provide comfort and healing during a difficult time. "Young children often gravitate naturally to the arts and crafts, and can use their favorite craft activities at moments of distress to express their feelings," Newman and Shellmer say. They maintain that children often work out their emotioal concerns also through other types of "play behavior, hence encouraging your child to express himself of herself in these mediums can also be beneficial."

Pages:  1  2  3  


Want to see more?