Most people in this room are grieving the same animal while managing everyone else’s grief — and usually holding it together in front of the children. That’s a lot to carry quietly.
This is where to ask the practical questions. What to say to a four-year-old who keeps asking when she’s coming back. Whether to let them be there for the euthanasia. What to do about the guilt a nine-year-old won’t admit to. How to handle a teenager who says they’re fine and clearly isn’t.
There’s a full guide here with word-for-word scripts and a printable memory book, but a guide can’t answer your specific child. Other parents can.
Two things worth knowing straight away: use the word “died” rather than “went to sleep,” and let them see you cry. Both feel wrong and both help.
What’s your situation? How old are they, and what have you told them so far?
