«Will Grandma Die?» How to Talk to Children in Latgale Where Funeral Announcements Are More Frequent Than Alarm Clocks
A family from Riga shares how their summer plans were disrupted by children's fears of death, amplified by frequent funeral announcements in Latgale. Their second-grade son is particularly anxious, crying at night and worrying about grandparents.
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«Events in Latgale have turned our summer upside down,» says Dace, a Riga resident. She and her husband have three school-age children, and the summer plan was clear: June with grandma in Latgale, July with grandma in Kurzeme, August with parents. This year, however, the children's anxiety about safety has disrupted the usual routine.
The most sensitive reaction comes from the second-grader. He asks to turn up the news, calls his grandmother daily, and wakes up crying at night, afraid that his grandparents will die and eventually everyone will perish. «Will grandma die?» is a question heard more and more often.
The family faces a difficult task – how to comfort children when funeral announcements sound more frequently than alarm clocks and news about regional events is constantly upsetting. Parents struggle to find words to explain and reassure. The article seeks guidance on how to talk to children about death and fear in such a situation.
