Should I tell my friends?

You may be worried about telling your friends, concerned about how to tell them, how they might react to your news or that they might treat you differently. Friends—even good friends— often don’t know what to say, and don’t know how to handle death, often because they have not been personally impacted.  You do not have to tell all your friends, you may want to choose who to confide in. You do not have to do it on your own, you may want a trusted adult to support you when you do it or to share the news on your behalf. It is important you take control of the situation and do what is right for you. Put yourself in their situation, would you want to know if one of your friends was going through a really hard time, would you want to be able to be there to support them through it? You know your friends best. Whatever you decide make sure you find caring adults and peers you can talk to about the death whether that is at home, within school or at one of our support groups. Anxiety about facing peers back at school is a normal feeling, make sure you inform school about the death and that they put measures in place to support you when you return.

“Yes, because they are your friends and they would want to be able to support you.  Wouldn’t you want to know if it had happened to one of your friends?” Simon Says Young Person.