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　　Watching a parent die of a terminal disease is traumatic for any child, but families can take steps to help them through it．

　　Age makes a big difference in how children understand and react to a parent's illness, and children at different ages need very different types of support．

　　With 3- to 5-year-olds, one of the most important things is to consistently make sure that they are being taken care of during their parent's illness．Children of this age can make short visits to the hospital, and they should have a longer visit from time to time．They should have toys to play with, and some activities they can do with their sick parent．Families should also try to control their emotions around children, because crying may frighten them．

　　It's difficult for them to understand the meaning of illness, or that death is permanent．Families should expect that in the weeks after a parent dies, the child will repeatedly ask where his or her mother or father is．

　　Children between the ages of 6 and 8, on the other hand, understand death．They may become highly emotional and even blame themselves for their parent's illness．Families should repeatedly explain the basic nature of the parent's illness to children of this age．

　　With 9- to 11-year-old children, families ought to give detailed information about the parent's illness and treatment so that they can know what to expect．Children of this age even benefit from being able to help care their parent．

　　After a parent's death, it's best for children in all of these age groups to get back to school and their normal activities as soon as they can, which helps them continue with their normal lives．