How to tell your child that someone they love has died

Sherre Hirsch, Rabbi & Relationship Expert, shares advice for parents on the best way to explain death to children and tell your child that a loved one has passed away
How To Tell Your Child That Someone They Loved Has Died
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How to tell your child that someone they love has died

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You don't want to talk to your children about death. Nobody knows what happens when we die, and the worst feeling is to talk to your child about something of which you have no answers. But here's the secret. They already know about death. They see bugs die. They see goldfish die. They see bodies die. So, start with the beginning. All bodies die. That is part of life. But what happens to the soul? That's a discussion that is endless, and that's a discussion that you start with the death of a family member, but I hope you never finish it. I hope that you talk about the soul with your children until you are in ripe old age, because that's what we are. We're here to figure out what is our soul, and how to contribute to society and make it better.

Sherre Hirsch, Rabbi & Relationship Expert, shares advice for parents on the best way to explain death to children and tell your child that a loved one has passed away

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Rabbi Sherre Hirsch

Rabbi & Relationship Expert

Rabbi Sherre Hirsch is a mother of four, author, speaker, TV personality, teacher and the spiritual life consultant for Canyon Ranch.  After eight years at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, she stepped out from behind the formal podium to share her message in all kinds of pulpits from The Today Show to a small baptist church in Alabama.  She published her first book, We Plan, God Laughs: What to Do When Life Hits You Over the Head in 2008; her second book will be published in early 2013. Rabbi Hirsch spends her free time practicing yoga, baking brownies and playing freeze dance with her husband and children.

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Transcription: 
You don't want to talk to your children about death. Nobody knows what happens when we die, and the worst feeling is to talk to your child about something of which you have no answers. But here's the secret. They already know about death. They see bugs die. They see goldfish die. They see bodies die. So, start with the beginning. All bodies die. That is part of life. But what happens to the soul? That's a discussion that is endless, and that's a discussion that you start with the death of a family member, but I hope you never finish it. I hope that you talk about the soul with your children until you are in ripe old age, because that's what we are. We're here to figure out what is our soul, and how to contribute to society and make it better.