Grief Resources for Children - Explaining Death to Children

Empowering children to deal healthily with loss and grief is the purpose of grief resources for children.

As much as moms and dads like to protect their dear ones from the sometimes harsh realities of life, the fact remains that death, grief and loss are regular occurrences in kid's lives.

In fact, one of the most given things about life is that we all are almost always dealing with some form of loss.

Loss occurs in many ways:

1. We lose a tooth as a kid, and wonder will a new one grow in its place.
2. Our best friend, one whom we could say anything to, moves to another school district and we wonder who will ever fill that empty spot in our hearts.
3. Rufus, the stray mutt who wandered into our backyard one day, with no collar, and became our best 4 legged friend, who jumped all over us each day when we returned from school, one day doesn't show up and we wonder.
4. Our favorite TV show goes off the air and we wonder what happened to our favorite buddies.
5. Grandma stops calling on the phone, and when she doesn't appear for Thanksgiving dinner, we wonder what happened to her.

All of the above are losses, all cause grief in our little hearts, which need help in understanding. Grief resources for children such as childrens books on death assist us through the painful process of coming to be more accepting than we are when we first must deal with loss.

Life teaches us that we have no choice in many areas of life. In other words, as much as we would prefer not to have to be explaining death to children and helping children cope with death, we must or we'll be in denial.

Here is a grief resource for children who have lost a parent.

Talking to children about death, explaining death to children, helping children through their grief and helping children cope with death are very sensitive areas, difficult ones for any person to do.

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says this about how children of different ages react to death.

The younger the child, the more attention must be given to the child. Younger children look at life entirely different than older children, as kids still retain magical thinking.

The above-link has free downloads for families dealing with grief and loss in children as well. It's an excellent site for grief resources for children.

Let's look more deeply into...

Grief and Children

Everywhere you look, you'll find reports on children

• being abused by parents, the clergy, even school personnel,
• forced to work instead of going to school,
• who are homeless,
• who are starving,
• who lose a parent and must go into foster care.

It seems the plight of children has never been so gruesome. How can a person handle all the negativity that exists in the world and still remain a contented camper?

I'm no expert on grief and children. I do know, though, that I lost my dad through a divorce when I was 4 years old.

That was an emotionally devastating change in life circumstances that unconsciously propelled me into becoming the King of Self-Destruction until I reached 39 years old and began healing emotionally.

It's crucial to help the children in your own personal world by giving them opportunities to deal with whatever loss and grief they may suffer.

Know it for certain, they feel to the core of their being the loss. You as parent or guardian, older brother or sister, aunt or uncle, or family friend can always lend a listening, caring ear.

Don't hesitate to ask for professional help if you feel incapable of dealing with your child's grief alone.

The following link provides outstanding grief resources , including

1. grief children support,
2. grief counselling for children,
3. grief lessons for children,
4. grief resources for children,
5. helping children cope with grief and
6. stages of grief in children

with special emphasis for teachers and parents on what to say and do during the times when dealing with grief and loss in children.

For more grief resources for children childrens books on death can be a help.

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Kindly treat us as you would family and friends. Thank you. Gratefully, Harvey