Helping Your Children Deal With Grief And Loss

Dealing with grief and loss is hard on anyone. Often, it is so painful when we have to say goodbye to a loved one that it can take a very long time to recover. However, as adults, we have a better understanding of why death must happen. Children, on the other hand, do not have that understanding. All they know is that someone they loved was taken away. It is very hard for a child to understand grief and loss, and often, it is very hard for us to help that child through the hard times of losing a loved one. If you know a child who has just lost someone they cared about, there are things you can do that will help them deal with the grief a little better.

You must remember that grief and loss are different for children. They do not understand death. They may struggle with things like a funeral and with family gatherings in the wake of death. They may feel like they are just having to give up someone they loved. Most of all, they may think that everyone is forgetting that person they loved when life returns to normal. Children may not understand how adults grieve and it can be stressful for them.

You can help a child through grief and loss by giving them something that will allow them to remember their lost loved one. You and your family could help the child plant a tree in memory of the person who died. Then, you can tell the child that every time anyone looks at that tree, they will be reminded of that loved one who meant so much. You could give a child a small gift that they can always carry with them in memory of the person that passed away. Then, you can tell them that carrying that gift is a constant reminder that the person they lost is always with them in their heart.

Dealing with grief and loss can be hard for anyone. Whenever someone we love passes away, it can take a long time to find peace from that loss. The hurt is magnified for a child because they simply do not understand death and why someone had to be taken away. You cannot make the hurt go away completely, but you can help a child a little by giving them something to help remember their loved one each day in the future.

By: Renee Wood, MSW

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Renee Wood founded The Comfort Company in 2000. She is a social worker that has helped families deal with the loss or pending loss of a child, as well as aiding patients in the end-stage of renal failure. The gifts provided by The Comfort Company offer memorial ideas as well as hope for healing hearts.