My friend who I have written about before lost her husband a couple of years ago. At the time the children seemed to cope with the loss relatively well, yet recently they have had some behavioral problems. When she talked to them they told her that they wanted to see Daddy and how they wanted to talk to him, that they had never really said goodbye.
The other day she took them to a park which they used to visit as a family. She gave them some paper and a pen each. She asked them to write down what they wanted …read more

My friend has been a widow for just over a year. I was around at their house when I was talking to her 5 year old about how the family was feeling.
He turned and said in a very adult voice (!)
“As I see it when I trapped my finger in the kitchen cupboard in hurt a lot for a while. Mum put a plaster on and I tried not to use it till it stopped hurting. Losing Daddy is like that”
He then walked to the kitchen and came back with a plaster on his chest.
“That feels better now people know …read more

My friend lost her husband just over a year ago, and has had significant problems with one of her children. She was been very withdraw from her set of friends, so I was interested to see on the Daily Gazette this a grief statistic that said
“Statistics show that one children in every seven will experience the death of an immediate family member by the age of 10.”
It also goes on to say
“Children do not express their grief in the same way adults do, but that doesn’t mean they do not grieve, Crea said. “If you’re old enough to love, …read more

Grief is difficult, very difficult for adults but I think often underestimate the impact on children. Children are very resilient and often want to hide their true feelings as they know you are struggling to cope with all the practical issues as well as your emotions. They can often be isolated. I was interested to read at the Journal and Courier Online
“Edward Cleaver, bereavement organizer for the camp, said children dealing with grief often believe others don’t feel the same or can understand them. “We want to reduce the isolation they are feeling,” he said.
Matched with a big-buddy counselor, the …read more

With the launch of the last ever Harry Potter book – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – you may feel a sense of excitement. An interesting article on the BaltimoreSun.com  says that if it is true that Harry is killed off, beware of the effect on your children.
“The sense of loss, dealing with death, even the passing of a fictional character, can have a profound impact on children, experts warn, and parents should be prepared to handle questions and pay attention to behaviors that could arise after reading the final book.
“Different people identify with different characters in all forms …read more