Death is difficult to discuss with children, but it offers valuable insights
Photo Canva.com, EPA, Oleg Petrasyuk
Christian Life
Can you talk about death with children? The question is very heavy and difficult. But it is necessary.
Although it may sound like a distant topic, speaking about death is not a matter for specialists. It doesn't come up in specialised pedagogy conferences, but if you are a parent, at some point the question will arise in the circumstances of everyday life.
It happened to me recently. We spent the day with several parents of friends of our children. My husband and I were the only believers. Some were agnostic/atheist, others adhered to the Roman Catholic tradition but without a strong personal faith, and others were simply indifferent to religion.
Intense scenes
Among the many topics we discussed, the conversation turned to cartoons. At one point, someone asked whether it was appropriate to expose children to the story of Disney's The Lion King.
The Disney classic includes funny songs and hilarious scenes with a warthog and a meerkat talking to a lion cub. But in fact, it exposes children to intense scenes and highly emotional content.
Specifically, the lion cub's father tragically dies, and the little one faces the loss and the guilt that comes with it.
Pain
At first, we all laughed a bit at the initial question. But then we seriously considered the issue: how can we explain death to our children when the theme is brought up by this cartoon?
From here, various experiences emerged. Finally, we concluded that death is inevitably part of life. Despite our care as parents, our children have already encountered this tragedy in some way by the time they turn five. Some have lost a grandparent, others a pet, and some have seen movies or cartoons that address the topic.
I listened to the various perspectives. In the end, it became clear that, no matter how much we try as parents to shield our children from pain, they will experience it anyway. And unfortunately, it cannot be avoided for too long.
There is little we can do to protect our children. The only thing we can do is offer them plausible answers and explanations.
Certainties
As Christians, we were able to share our point of view. We told the others that we talk about death as a consequence of sin and that we teach them that going into the presence of the Lord is a certainty for those who have believed in Him.
I realised that death is a topic that can be discussed with curious children for those who believe in God, despite the tragedy of death and the difficulty of even watching cartoon scenes where a lion dies. For parents, certainties derived from faith make it easier to address some truly difficult subjects.
Although death indeed seems like a tragedy for both adults and children, for believing parents, it can also be an opportunity to offer comfort and reassurance to children, grounded in the existence of a Lord who has already conquered death!
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