Discussing death with children

Signs of a problem or disorder include:

• Long-term denial
• Repeated crying spells
• Disabling depression
• Suicidal thoughts
• Persistent anger
• Persistent unhappiness
• Social withdrawal
• Severe separation anxiety
• Delinquency or promiscuity
• Decline in school performance
• Persistent sleep problems
• Eating disorders
• Long-term avoidance of feelings

Take your child to a doctor, mental health specialist, or clergyperson if any of these signs appear or persist.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS ABOUT BEREAVEMENT

YOUNG CHILDREN

The Dead Bird, by Margaret Wise-Brown. Addison-Wesley, Reading MA, 1958 (3 - 5 years)

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death, by Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown. Little Brown, Boston, MA, 1996 (4 - 8 years)

Accident, by Carol Carrick, Seabury Press, New York, NY, 1976 (6 - 8 years)

OLDER CHILDREN

A Taste of Blackberries, by Doris B. Smith. Thomas Y. Crowell Co, New York, NY, 1973 (8 - 9 years)

The Magic Moth, by Virginia Lee, Seabury Press, New York, NY 1972 (10 - 12 years)

Beat the Turtle Drum, by Constance C. Greene. The Viking Press, New York, NY, 1976 (10 - 14 years)

GUIDELINES FOR CAREGIVERS

Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children, by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen. Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1983

Straight Talk About Death With Teenagers, by Earl A. Grollman. Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1993

How Do We Tell The Children? Helping Children Understand and Cope with Separation and Loss, by Dan Schaefer and Christine Lyons. Newmarket Press, New York, NY, 1993

RELATED TOPICS

Fetal death

SIDS

Death among children and adolescents

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