A young child does not understand the abstract concept of death. Children of all ages must go through their fearful feelings until they come to their own under- standing. If children receive sufficient attention and nurturing during this fearful time, they will recover a sense of the basic dependability of life. Listen to a child's fears and validate them as difficult feelings to feel. Fear can appear differently in different children.
Some children act younger or regress.
They want the reassurance, the care and attention that they received when they were younger. Some children become over-achievers in an attempt to contradict their own feelings of helplessness. Some children may withdraw and become very quiet, frozen in fear. An unrealistic sense of responsi- bility that protects us from the senselessness of the death. Sometimes unrealistic guilt can ease the fear that children may feel when someone dies.