Stop Shielding Kids From Death: Why Honest Conversations Could Be the Greatest Gift You Give Them According to Clarissa Moll

If you’ve ever wondered how to talk to children about death, episode 366 is for you. Author and grief advocate Clarissa Moll shares how losing her husband reshaped life as a widowed mother of four—and why honest conversations help kids more than protection. Through her children’s book Hope Comes to Stay and her own story, Clarissa shows how grief can grow resilience, compassion, and even joy.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(1:00) Life shattered by sudden loss

(1:40) Choosing joy amid grief

(2:40) The story behind hope comes to stay

(4:30) Teaching kids that pain exists—and joy too

(5:10) The myth of invincibility

(8:30) Why we must talk about death with children

(13:40) Lost rituals, lost comfort

(15:40) The power of consolation and community

(17:30) The limits of online support

(18:50) Staying present for the grieving

In today's episode, I'm joined by Clarissa Moll, an author, podcaster, and grief advocate who helps people navigate loss with honesty and hope. After her husband’s sudden death in 2019, Clarissa began writing and speaking about grief, parenting through loss, and finding joy in life’s hardest seasons. She produces and moderates The Bulletin, Christianity Today’s flagship news podcast, and is the author of Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss and the children’s book Hope Comes to Stay. Drawing on personal experience and compassionate insight, Clarissa encourages open conversations about death, resilience, and community. Through her books, podcasting, and speaking, she offers families practical tools to face grief together while cultivating compassion and courage. She lives with her four children, carrying forward her late husband’s legacy with honesty and joy.

Throughout this episode, Clarissa shares a deeply personal perspective on grief and resilience. After becoming a widowed mother of four, she dedicated her work to guiding others through loss, showing that grief, though painful, can nurture compassion and interdependence. In Hope Comes to Stay, she demonstrates how stories of hardship help children grasp both the reality of suffering and the possibility of joy. Clarissa stresses the importance of speaking directly with kids about death—avoiding euphemisms and giving them the language they need—and reflects on how modern culture conceals death, erasing rituals that once offered comfort. Ultimately, she highlights the irreplaceable role of community support—meals, childcare, presence—over the illusion of handling grief alone.

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