A nurse is caring for a child who has terminal cancer. Which of the following responses by the child's siblings should the nurse expect?

A. The adolescent brother criticizes the parents' plan to have a funeral service: Adolescents often struggle with complex emotions such as anger, denial, and a desire for control when facing a sibling’s terminal illness. Criticizing parental decisions reflects attempts to assert independence and process grief in a way that aligns with their developmental stage. B. The school-age sister views death as being a type of temporary sleep: Viewing death as temporary sleep is more typical of preschool-aged children, who think concretely and cannot yet understand the permanence of death. School-age children begin to understand that death is irreversible and final. C. The adolescent brother fears the terminal illness is contagious: Fear of contagion is more characteristic of younger children, who may have difficulty distinguishing biological facts from magical thinking. Adolescents usually have a more realistic understanding of disease transmission. D. The school-age sister is concerned about the impact of her sibling's death on herself: While school-age children do experience grief, their understanding of death is concrete, and self-focused concerns are less common than for adolescents. They are more likely to express concern about changes in routines or the well-being of surviving family members rather than abstract personal impact.