Illness and death through the eyes of a child
Hospital experience can be for a small child severe trauma, because maybe he will suffer from pain, and all around there is another - the furniture, objects, smells, people in masks and gowns, unusually quiet austere atmosphere, to the same ratio of staff to children in many hospitals can hardly be called friendly. Read the children books about the hospital and answer all the questions, which they then occur. Make it clear that if a child is admitted to the hospital, he did nothing wrong, had done nothing wrong and the hospital - is not a punishment. During a visit to polyclinics pay attention to things, smells, and order. Help organize a game at home to the hospital.
When a close loved one dies, children may experience grief and fear. This process can last a long time, depending on what value was the deceased person in a child's life. 's illness and death through the eyes of a child otlichaetsya the perception of these phenomena is an adult. The child may believe that the deceased will be back. May feel angry because he feels that he threw the man whom he loved. May be sad, cry, feel depressed. Perhaps fearful of the process of burial. Finally, a child with a humbled state of affairs is beginning to understand the world in new ways.
To explain to the child what death is, from time to time to read your child books that describes someone's death. For example, in the fairy tale "Cinderella" is mentioned that "her parents died." Talk to your child about how he understands this. If you die of some famous people (usually children learn about it from the conversations of adults, or from news reports), talk about him as he lived, as we will continue what he was doing. If children find a dead insect, chick or other small animal, you can use this to tell you what it means to die in the physical sense - stillness, silence, the complete absence of reactions.
Help your child express their feelings - let them beat or knead dough, paint, hammer nails. Write a book together about who died and those wonderful things that he (she) managed to do in life. If the child is not inclined to talk about this person, write him a story about some small animals who lost someone in those who loved very much. If the death occurred from an illness, explain that not all illnesses lead to death. Answer questions about death directly and accurately. Remember, if children begin to ask such questions, it means they strongly reflect on this theme. In some cases, these questions are inspired by the concern of their destiny: "And when I die?" The best answer: "I hope that you will live a long, long life."
