Re: How do you explain the death of a family pet t... - Page 2

JustJules · ‎06-25-2013

Children are very perceptive even at such a young age. I have memories from when I was only two, and a little before... so at 3 years old she is going to remember. The best way is to be honest. Try explaining to her the "Rainbow Bridge"

http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm

It gives hope that our furbabies are all once again happy and whole and no longer suffering. If your pet was sick, your 3 year old clearly was aware of some pain and suffering.... and it might help her to know that now that pet is complete and happy and no longer in pain, even though it hurts the people left behind that loved them and miss them. I think honesty is best, especially with little ones. It doesn't have to be brutal, but we should always keep it real, because they are going to eventually figure it out. JMO

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

Not with a pet, but we had a 1 1/5 yr. old and a 3 1/2 yr. old when my dad died. He had cancer. It honestly didn't phase the younger one much, but our older one had a special relationship with Grandpa. We are a family of faith and prayer and it's always been a natural part of our everyday conversations to include references to Jesus, God, Heaven, etc. We never hid anything from the kids, but didn't share every detail either. Our oldest knew Grandpa was sick and we prepared him in advance of what would eventually take place. Death was not scary to him, nor was it an emotional upheaval as it can be for some of us. When the day came, we explained that Grandpa's body stopped working, but now he lives with Jesus and is waiting for us in Heaven. Grandpa's death was not traumatic for him. He was not afraid to see him in the casket. Future conversations, when our son would want to say something about his Grandpa, would always start with, "When Grandpa lived here....".

Many pet lovers are comforted by the Rainbow Bridge poem. Maybe it will be helpful in your situation.

Clover29 · ‎03-09-2010

I somewhat agree with ennui, that kids can surprise us with their reaction to something like this. A friend of mine tearfully explained to her small twin boys that their family cat had been run over, and one of them exclaimed quite excitedly, "Ooh! Can I see it?!" My friend found that more traumatic than she'd expected. He's now grown up with kids of his own, and is embarrassed by the story.

focksie · ‎03-04-2012

It depends on the sensitivity of the child. It won't register too much with some and others may be distraught. I like the Rainbow Bridge explanation because it is a very positive visual image (happy, friendly place) for a very young child...even for old children.

shy bobcat · ‎04-24-2010

Thank you so much for all your help. I googled the question and will also take my granddaughter to the library today. I will share my info with my grieving dd.

Baylie · ‎03-11-2010

Our daughter just told our grandkids that the dog was sick and went to Heaven, where she felt better and had lots of dogs to play with. They decided they wanted to buy some balloons and send them up to say goodbye to her. It seemed to help them feel better. I think the youngest was about three at the time. Since then they have sent balloons up to another of their dogs and to mine too when they died.

AnikaBrodie · ‎03-10-2010

From rainbowsbridge.com website:

Helping a Child Cope with Pet Loss

"... Many people do not realize how traumatic and confusing death can be on a child. Although children tend to grieve for shorter periods of time, their grief is no less intense than that experienced by adults. Children also tend to comeback to the subject repeatedly; so extreme patience is required when dealing with the grieving child..." ................

This is the first paragraph of an article on the above website. I hope you will check it out and will find it helpful for your grandchild.

"Faith, Hope, Love; the greatest of these is Love." ~The Silver Fox~

gazelle77 · ‎03-01-2013

On 5/27/2014 focksie said:
It depends on the sensitivity of the child. It won't register too much with some and others may be distraught. I like the Rainbow Bridge explanation because it is a very positive visual image (happy, friendly place) for a very young child...even for old children.

Even for old people like me! Smile

focksie · ‎03-04-2012

On 5/27/2014 gazelle77 said:
On 5/27/2014 focksie said:
It depends on the sensitivity of the child. It won't register too much with some and others may be distraught. <em>I like the Rainbow Bridge explanation because it is a very positive visual image (happy, friendly place) for a very young child...even for old children.</em>

Even for old people like me!

Yes, I actually meant for "old children" like us! Seriously, I only learned of the Rainbow Bridge after my first pet passed away and the image and sentiment really helped me get through it.