20.Helping your children cope with loss
There is never going to be a good time to deliver bad news to your children.
Help them process what has happened and let them come to terms with it.
☐Be honest and straightforward
Children who are lied to in times of grief will have to face the pain of losing their loved ones, and may lose trust in us for not being truthful.
☐ Answer their questions.
You may not have immediate answers.
It will be hard to be questioned while you’re also grieving, but ignoring or avoiding their requests all together will only make it harder for them to cope.
☐ Expect a range of emotions from your child.
Encourage them to share their feelings openly and without judgment.
☐ Reminiscing and remember together the ones you’ve lost as you move forward with life.
☐ Seek comfort from the Quran and the Sunnah
Qur’anic verses teach us that death is a normal and natural part of life, happening all around us with a great purpose.
During his lifetime, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, lost his mother, his father, his grandfather, his uncle, his wife, multiple children, and, of course, many friends and companions. His story teaches us that even the most beloved servants will face loss and grief, and that even the strongest of people will cry and show sadness.