Welcome to our website
Death affects everyone in a family, the old and the young. Meeting the needs of children can sometimes be challenging for the parents; wading through their own deep emotions of loss and grief can make them less accessible for a while. It is important, though; young people who have their grief acknowledged by adults, early-on, fare far better than those who are left to seek comfort for themselves. It’s important to remember that the support of children isn’t the sole responsibility of the parents; many adults come into contact with and impact our children every single day. Teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, clergy – all can be of great support to a grieving child. Once loss is acknowledged, healthy avenues of expression can be implemented. The common, but less effective childhood coping measures of acting out and retreating with bottled-up grief can be minimized or even avoided entirely.
Grief, if unaddressed, will not just go away on its own. Children’s growth and development, education, and at times even their physical health can be adversely affected if they’re left alone with their grief. Loss, in general, may be fairly new to children, and loss from death most probably is; without a frame of reference, they don’t know what to ‘do’ or how to ‘be’ when someone they love dies. While it’s true that ‘children are resilient’ and ‘humans are wired to survive’, these truisms don’t automatically translate into ‘the kids will be just fine’.
They can heal, however. Although poorly equipped to deal with all that loss through death brings without the important support of adults, it does not mean that they are without hope. Quite the opposite – with attention, an allowing atmosphere, and the familiarity of family and friends, kids do move through their grief. Thoughts and concerns brought forward, out into the open and considered together, become building blocks for their return to more joyful childhood states.
Our website is dedicated to all of you who are extending a hand. Because your young people have you standing beside them, the pain and hurt of early-in-life loss, won’t have to last a lifetime!
