Dead Serious Show #002
Dead Serious #002 (MP3 – 13.6MB – 38min)
LISTEN HERE
Talking to Kids about death…..the ultimate taboo???
Talk to my kids about death? No way!
Thats the response of most people, wether the kids are their own, their grandchildren, their brothers and sisters or kids who they work with. Most adults avoid the “death conversations” with their peers, so why would they even consider talking about death to the kids who are important to them?
I’ll tell you why………..
This program explores the dangers of excluding kids from death experiences and family experiences of grief. I look at what happens to kids when the adults in their lives avoid these discussions with the misguided intention of protecting them from saddness and loss. Most adults avoid these discussions with the kids they love because they dont want the kids to worry. My question is what happens when unexpectedly someone close to a child dies, when the child has no understanding of what death means?
Death to us all is a traumatic experience and for children who have not been prepared for the inevitability of death, the resultant confusion and distress can have a lifelong impact.
I explore simple ways of introducing death discussions and normalising death, so that the kids will have an understanding of what is real and what is fantasy. With the growing influence of television, computer and video games, kids are exposed to unrealistic depictions of death and it is up to us as caring, responsible and compassionate adults to gently educate and support them in developing a realistic understanding of death and to support them to make ‘meaning’ for themselves.
So, have a listen……pick up some simple tips…………think about your relationships with the kids who are important to you…….and take the plunge……talk about death with a child you love today………tomorrow may be too late!