Children and Euthanasia
It is very hard for parents to try to explain to their children, and accept the fact that is it time for their beloved pet to die. Many parents make the mistake of trying to protect their children from grief, and make many mistakes by doing so. If you try to minimize or avoid the pain caused by the death of a companion animal, you will miss the opportunity to teach your children a very powerful lesson in coping with the painful reality of death.
Children can be helped to cope effectively with difficult life experiences, provided we take into consideration what the pet meant to the child, take into account his/her developmental understanding of death, and carefully plan how your family pet’s euthanasia is presented to them. Here are some suggestions:
1. Be open and honest. If the pet is terminally ill and death is pending, do not wait to tell your child. Let them hear it from you, not from someone else. If they ever discover you distorted the truth or lied to them, they will have a hard time trusing you again.
2. Let them know that grief is normal and explain to them how they may feel after the pet has passed. Let them know it is alright to feel sad.
3. Tell them the reason euthanasia is necessary ie. the pet’s body is worn out, there has been an accident, the pet is very sick. The pet’s body cannot be fixed.
4. Don’t use the phrases ”passed on” “left us” or “gone on”. Such phrases imply the pet is on a trip and will return, and may leave the child feeling rejected or abandoned.
5. Include the children in the euthanasia decision. Let them help you create a personal tribute to your beloved friend. Having a Pet Headstone made in the pet’s memorial gives a child the opportunity to say good-bye.