If you have a loved one in hospice, your whole family is experiencing a challenging and painful transition. That experience includes anticipatory grief before your loved one passes, as well as grief after they are gone. Those who have children may have questions about how the loss will affect them. Here are some helpful things to know about how children grieve.

- Children often grieve differently than adults.
- Some children may understand and process a death in the family immediately. Others may not. Children under the age of 5 may not fully comprehend that their loved one will not come back. Very young children also may regress a bit in their behaviors temporarily.
- It is common for children’s moods to change rapidly back and forth. Your child may be crying one minute about their loved one. The next, they could be playing cheerfully as if nothing is wrong. This is normal.
- Some kids may want to avoid going to a funeral, because they find it too upsetting. Rather than insist that they go, it is recommended to help them find other ways they can recognize and process their loved one’s passing.
- Children often want a sense of routine and normalcy during grieving. At the same time, they do not want the loss or their feelings about it to be dismissed. So, avoid minimizing the situation. If your child wants to talk about the loss, or find ways to connect with their memories, be supportive.
- If your loved one is still in hospice, try and make opportunities for your child to spend time with them while they still have the chance. Even though the situation is difficult, over the long term, being able to spend that precious time together will leave a lasting positive impact.
- If your child will be returning to school after a break, it can be helpful to reach out to teachers to let them know what is going on. A child who is overwhelmed with grief may struggle to focus, and this is a way to ensure that they are getting the support they need.
- When explaining to your child that a loved one died or is dying, try to be clear and direct. Some parents may feel an urge to use a euphemism, but doing this tends to cause more confusion and anxiety, not less.
Also important is to understand that each individual child processes grief in their own way, just as is true with adults.
Get Grief Support for Your Whole Family
Journey Palliative and Hospice not only provides compassionate care to hospice patients, but also offers care and support to their families. That includes grief counseling and support groups for everyone in your family, including children. To learn more about our hospice services, please give us a call at (818) 748-3427. We are based in
Burbank, and offer hospice services throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan region.