In our circumstance Scarlett was under the age of 2 when Christian died. She did not understand what had happened. All she knew was that things had changed and that her parents were upset. We did our best to keep to our normal routine and made extra time to show her she was loved and safe.
I completely recommend seeking professional help when it comes to your living children and grief. Counselors can be so helpful not just to your children but for yourself as well, they can guide you on ways to help your children. Allow your child to express their grief and tell them that whatever they are feeling is okay and that they can talk to you about it. I
We are currently in the process of explaining Christian’s death to Scarlett. She speaks about death and dying often. She has many questions, none of which we felt that we could not handle. The hardest question Scarlett has asked us is “Why?”. We have told her that sometimes things happen in life and we don’t ever really know why. We reminded her that heaven is real and that one day she will get to meet her brother. We are blessed that Scarlett has handled the passing of her little brother so well. We do not hide our tears from her we explain that they come from a place of love and it because we miss Christian. We reassure her that she is loved by us and that she is safe.
There are some fantastic books available that help explain death to a child. Some of these are listed below. They have been recommended by bereaved parents from all over the world. It can be done in such a gentle way.
Waterbugs and Dragonflies
We Were Gonna Have A Baby But We Had An Angel Instead
There is a scene in the movie The Princess and The Frog where one of the characters in the movie dies. It is done so beautifully gentle. I really recommend it.
Wishing you and your children all the healing and blessings in the world.
