Children and Grief

Categories: Parenting & Families

It’s never easy to deal with death.  Even as adults we have a hard time reconciling ourselves to it.  Things become twice as hard when you have to discuss death with a child.  Whether it’s losing a beloved pet or the loss of a close family member, no one wants to mar the innocence of childhood with the ugliness of life.

But for the last few years it has been all around us.  September 11, the tsunami that hit Asia and Africa, the Hurricane Katrina and the wars have been a large part of the national conversation for a few years now.  Children need to feel safe and learn how to cope with all they are feeling.

H. Norman Wright’s book, "It's Okay to Cry" gives parents sound advice with how to assist children with their loss.  Wright helps you to see the event through the child’s eyes and offers different prompts and activities to get the child to open up.