Little girl drew her family for class. She included her late mom and got punished for it
Richard thought the teacher could have used the drawing as an opportunity to check on his daughter, Imogen
Children and adults can grieve the loss of a family member differently. John Adams, fourth-generation funeral director, talked about loss, grief, death, and funerals on DACI (@dacipodcast). In one episode, Richard, a guest, revealed how his daughter, Imogen, was asked to draw a picture of her family at school. Wanting to include her late mother in the assignment, the little girl found a "hilarious" way. However, while her family saw the innocence behind the drawing, her teacher reportedly deemed it "inappropriate." The video was shared on June 16, 2026, and it has reached 71,600 views, 2,674 likes, and 51 comments.
Family is family
Richard explained that the students were asked to draw a diagram of their families in class. Imogen began drawing her sister, her brother, their dog, her dad, and their late mother. Since her mom had passed away, she drew a gravestone with a skeleton underneath it. The teachers reacted by calling it an "inappropriate" drawing. Imogen did not understand why they thought it was inappropriate because they asked her to draw her family.
According to her, her mom was still part of the family even though she's no longer on Earth. Richard added that it was classic Imogen behavior. He thought the teachers could have used the opportunity to check in on his daughter. Instead of reacting negatively to it, they could have asked how she was dealing with her mother's death.
Children can teach you how to grieve
In another clip, Richard talked about how honest his children were when it came to dealing with their mother's passing. A few weeks ago, Imogen had another incident. Someone said they were calling her mother to reprimand her for her actions. Her immediate reaction was, "Well, you won't." When they asked why, she responded, "Well, she's dead." Richard told her she cannot answer bluntly like that. She asked, "Why? It's my experience." He confessed that her honesty made him look deeper into the issue. Instead of reprimanding her, he would follow up by asking how she is feeling about the whole situation, losing her mother.
Death changes one's perspective
A study was published in Death Studies where 52 children aged seven, nine, and 11 were asked to draw a picture that shows the meaning of the word death. They were also asked to complete a Death Concept Questionnaire. Only 26 out of the 52 children had a personal death experience, and the results showed that children with a personal experience have a more "realistic understanding of death" compared to the others.
The National Alliance for Grieving Children also conducted a poll on 531 bereaved children and teenagers (18 years and below). When it comes to remembering and honoring the late family member, 71% revealed they did it by keeping photos or special items that once belonged to the late family member, 65% honored them by enjoying life and having fun, 54% remembered them by doing things they liked to do, and 53% honored them by sharing stories about the good times they had together.
Still part of the family
Netizens loved that Imogen included her late mother in the drawing, but called out the teachers for not accepting her innocent drawing of her family. @grannyangela commented, "Not inappropriate at all. A very healthy outlook, dealing with things in her own way. Shame on the teachers who chose not to support her." @leesyja_ wrote, "Speaking as a teacher, it’s weird that the teachers would react that way. All feelings and representations should be valid here. Maybe the teacher wasn’t happy as she didn’t know how to respond, and that’s not fair to your child."
You can follow DACI (@dacipodcast) for more interviews on grief, loss, and growth.
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