It’s better, immediately responds Dr. Christine Grou, president of the Order of Psychologists of Quebec. Either way, he will probably have heard about it on television or in the schoolyard. “You can’t protect children from everything. Rather, we must support them in adversity,” she summarizes. And, above all, prepare yourself for their questions. For example, a child might worry that his parents share the same fate as his favorite singer, especially if they are the same age as Karl Tremblay. If this is the case, we reassure him by telling him that we are in good health, that getting sick is not a guarantee of dying. To toddlers, it is possible to explain that the deceased person was sick, that their organs stopped functioning and that they no longer suffer today. Above all, we avoid telling him that death is a sleep from which we cannot wake up… “The child will be afraid of sleeping! “, warns Dr. Grou.
There must have been a lot of parents with a trembling voice when they announced the death of Karl Tremblay to their children. And that is absolutely correct. “You shouldn’t deprive yourself of shedding a tear when you are moved,” emphasizes the psychologist. By displaying your pain in front of your child, you show them that it is normal. We give him the right to be sad, too. That said, the parent must also be able to control their grief. “The parent must not be disconfigured to the point that the child must protect them,” she specifies. Trust yourself: you are the person best placed to reassure your child.
Everyone reacts differently to grief. You may want to listen to The Shooting Stars or On My Shoulder on repeat. To reminisce with your family about your favorite concert memories. Or to change your mind. The main thing is to explain to your child that music is eternal. That Karl Tremblay’s legacy will survive him. “There, it’s Karl Tremblay, but one day he will be grandpa, grandma, an uncle, a friend. You have to be able to show your child how to feel sad and, above all, that you can console them,” concludes Dr. Grou.
