Bringing a pet at home is usually a decision that parents make in order to make their children happy. For a lot of kids, pets are more than just somebody to play with. Instead they are creatures that can bring happiness, teach the value of responsibility, help them de-stress and as a whole make good friends. Taking this into consideration, it is expected that pets at home are more attached to the kids who spend a lot of time with them. Therefore, when the pet dies, it is inevitable for children to experience pet loss grief. As a mom or dad, you are probably faced with the challenge of helping your child recover from the loss. This is because you, yourself, are finding it hard to cope up. But since you are the adult, you have to take it upon yourself to give your kids some extra help.
In this regard, parents should remember the importance of patience. Children have the tendency to bring up the topic repeatedly so be patient. Other than this, you should allow your children to work through their grief. Don’t stop them from showing their grief and let them see you express your feelings as well. Work on having an open and honest discussion about what transpired. Also, as what Christian counseling experts would have it, you have to use age-appropriate language when you talk to your kids about death and grief. You should not use statements like God took the pet or the pet is just sleeping. These can give them false fears – fear that God will take them or their loved ones and fear of sleeping. It is also recommended to involve your children to activities pertaining to the loss. Let them take part in the burial service. Allow them to have a say on how the memorial service should be carried out. If ever a child says he doesn’t want to join, don’t force him to.
Also part of helping your child deal with the loss is teaching him the permanency of death. Further don’t rush into buying another pet to replace the lost one. This might bring about feelings of disloyalty in kids and can also make them think that grief for the death of someone can be overcome just by getting a replacement. Pet loss grief counseling for children may not be as serious as substance abuse counseling but it needs attention just the same. Trying to educate yourself on how you can do it well can contribute a lot to your recovery and your kids’ recovery, most importantly. As always, be patient and never forget to hug and reassure your kids.