Grief is confusing. While it’s completely natural to worry and want to protect children and teenagers, the best thing to do is give them age-appropriate information about a death.
Our Irish Childhood Bereavement Network is there for you if you’re supporting a bereaved child/teenager right now. Visit childhoodbereavement.ie or see below for more advice and supports.
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In this section
Helping children grieve during COVID-19
It’s natural to want to protect and shield children when someone dies; however, we need to talk to children to help them feel safer, now more than ever.
Supporting teenagers to grieve during COVID-19
Under normal circumstances, grief can feel isolating, however during COVID-19 restrictions it’s especially important to find ways to support teenagers and help them stay connected.
Finding new ways for children to say goodbye
Children will need a lot of reassurance and love during these distressing times. They need to know even though the adults around them are worried and very sad, they’ll still be able to care for them.
Children’s grief
Children grieve in their own way following a death and each child’s reaction will depend on the circumstances of their loss. How they respond also will depend on their age and their understanding of death.
Talking to children about traumatic death
Explaining death to children can be difficult, particularly when the death is traumatic. While you may want to try to protect children from upsetting details of the death, children need honest information.
Adolescent grief
When a death occurs, the life of a teenager can become very difficult. It’s important you support them in their grief and they have a caring adult who is willing to listen and to validate their loss.
