Losing a pet often is the first time children encounter death. Psychologists and pet bereavement specialists say the experience can be an opportunity for profound emotional learning and influence how young people process grief as adults. They say parents and guardians can help children accept the painful permanence of death and guide them through a healthy and healing mourning process. Children as young as 4 may struggle to grasp the concept of death, while older children may need more emotional support. A child’s closeness to a pet and whether the death was sudden also can shape individual responses. Experts advise parents to avoid euphemisms and to share their own feelings of grief.

A teenage student opened fire at a private Christian school Monday morning in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and another student in the final week before Christmas break. Police say the shooter also died. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes offered no details about the age or gender of the suspected shooter who also wounded six others at Abundant Life Christian School, a K-12 school with about 390 students. Police previously said a total of five people had died.