Motivational speaker and author, Ganel-Lyn Condie, joined the studio to share how you can best talk with your children about grief and death. While this topic typically comes with a heavy connotation, Ganel-Lyn shared insight as to why it’s so important to talk about death with kids, instead of ignoring it.  She provided valuable “do’s and don’ts” for how you can and should comfortably address grief and death in the home. 

Do’s:

• Do tell the truth
• Do give permission for emotions
• Do use words like “death” or “died”, not “passed on
• Do talk in small doses
• Do feel okay to say “I don’t know” 
• Do feel okay to cry 
• Do rituals
• Do take time to adjust to important dates (birthdays, holidays, etc.) in the future without loved ones
• Do check in regularly 

Don’ts:

• Don’t hide grief
• Don’t stop sharing memories
• Don’t stop laughing
• Don’t grieve in a time frame 

Being able to talk openly about grief and death will allow for trust and safety between you and your kids. For additional help or information about Ganel-Lyn, go to ganellyn.com.