Children Mourning Mourning Children

Based on the Hospice Foundation of America's second annual teleconference, this book explores three basic themes in children's grief. Firstly, it maintains that children are always developing; therefore their understanding of death and their reactions to illness and loss are also multifaceted and constantly undergoing change. Secondly, children grieve in ways that are both different from and similar to adults. While they may need different therapeutic approaches from their elders, each loss is different and the grief experience will be affected by many of the same factors that affect adults. Thirdly, it holds that they need significant support as they grieve.; Talking to children about loss and and illness is too important to wait until a crisis; rather, it is essential to provide opportunities to discuss loss in times that are not so Emotionally Laden. This Book Aims To Demonstrate That Open Communication between parents and children will lead to skills and understanding that are essential to the child for coping with loss and reaffirming that death is part of the process of living.

From #1 New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers, comes a poignant and beautiful story about finding joy after loss. There is a wonder and magic to childhood. We don’t realize it at the time, of course . . . yet the adults in our lives do. They encourage us to see things in the stars, to find joy in colors and laughter as we play. But what happens when that special someone who encourages such wonder and magic is no longer around? We can hide, we can place our heart in a bottle and grow up . . . or we can find another special someone who understands the magic. And we can encourage them to see things in the stars, find joy among colors and laughter as they play. Oliver Jeffers delivers a remarkable book, a touching and resonant tale reminiscent of The Giving Tree that will speak to the hearts of children and parents alike.

Renowned author and educator Alan Wolfelt redefines the role of the grief counselor in this guide for caregivers to grieving children. Providing a viable alternative to the limitations of the medical establishment’s model for companioning the bereaved, Wolfelt encourages counselors and other caregivers to aspire to a more compassionate philosophy in which the child is the expert of his or her grief—not the counselor or caregiver. The approach outlined in the book argues against treating grief as an illness to be diagnosed and treated but rather for acknowledging it as an event that forever changes a child's worldview. By promoting careful listening and observation, this guide shows caregivers, family members, teachers, and others how to support grieving children and help them grow into healthy adults.

Drawing upon extensive interviews and assessments of school-age children who have lost a parent to death, this book offers a richly textured portrait of the mourning process in children. The volume presents major findings from the Child Bereavement Study and places them in the context of previous research, shedding new light on both the wide range of normal variation in children's experience of grief and the factors that put bereaved children at risk. The book also compares parentally bereaved children with those who have suffered loss of a sibling to death, or of a parent through divorce, exploring similarities and differences in these experiences of loss. A concluding section explores the clinical implications of the findings and includes a review of intervention models and activities, as well as a screening instrument designed to help identify high-risk bereaved children.

The Good Mourning is a kid's support guide for grief and mourning death. The book helps other boys and girls deal with the loss of a parent, grandparent, other close relative, or friend. The Good Mourning is an easily read book that helps children process, from a peer's perspective, the broad range of emotions, thoughts, and pain experienced after the loss of a loved one. In a warm and conversational manner, the young author, whose mother died just before his 5th birthday, is supportive, uplifting, informative and transparent. This book was written by a kid who experienced loss and grief; for kid's who are experiencing loss and grief. The Good Mourning is a conversation among peers that adults are welcomed into, as it is also for invaluable to any adult who raises, cares for, or loves a child in grief and mourning. It is age-appropriate, understandable, relatable, and applicable. More importantly, it equips its readers with tools to help them take control of how they mourn. This book helps children grieving the death of a parent, grandparent, or other loved one, understand more, process better, become stronger, and Get to Their Good Mourning!

Bringing together fourteen experts from across the United States and Canada, Bereaved Children and Teens is a comprehensive guide to helping children and adolescents cope with the emotional, religious, social, and physical consequences of a loved one's death. The result is an indispensable reference for parents, teachers, counselors, health-care professionals, and clergy. Topics covered include what to say and what not to say when explaining death to very young children; how teenagers grieve differently from children and adults; how to translate Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish beliefs about death into language that children can understand; how ethnic and cultural differences can affect how children grieve; what teachers and parents can do to help bereaved young people at school; and activities, books, and films that help children and teens cope.

On Children and Death is a major addition to the classic works of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, whose On Death and Dying and Living with Death and Dying have been continuing sources of strength and solace for tens of millions of devoted readers worldwide. Based on a decade of working with dying children, this compassionate book offers the families of dead and dying children the help -- and hope -- they need to survive. In warm, simple language, Dr. Kübler-Ross speaks directly to the fears, doubts, anger, confusion, and anguish of parents confronting the terminal illness or sudden death of a child.

Through captivating stories and thoughtful analysis, Maria Trozzi explains how to handle the difficult job of talking with children and adolescents about loss, with discussions about: * How children perceive and interpret events such as death, disability, and divorce * Guiding children through the four tasks of mourning * Helping children face funerals, wakes, and memorial services * Children's fears and fantasies: how they express them, and how to address them * Age-appropriate responses to children's questions and concerns * Talking to children about long-term illness, suicide, family or community tragedy, and other special situations * What to do when children won't talk about loss, and when to seek professional help"The wisdom, authenticity, and sheer presence of the author are evident from page one until the end of the beautifully written book. Terms like 'ground-breaking' and 'innovative' have been triviliazed by overuse. In this case they are deserved." --Stan Turecki, M.D., author of The Difficult Child

Even young children want answers to the hard questions about God and suffering. In The Moon Is Always Round, seminary professor and author Jonathan Gibson uses the vivid imagery of the moon to explain to children how God’s goodness is always present, even when it might appear to be obscured by upsetting or difficult circumstances. In this beautiful, full-color illustrated book, he allows readers to eavesdrop on the conversations he had with his young son in response to his sister’s death. Father and son share a simple liturgy together that reminds them that, just as the moon is always round despite its different phases, so also the goodness of God is always present throughout the different phases of life. A section in the back of the book offers further biblical help for parents and caregivers in explaining God’s goodness to children. Jonathan Gibson reminds children of all ages that God’s goodness is present in the most difficult of times, even if we can’t always see it.

One out of seven children will lose a parent before they are 20. The statistics are sobering, but they are also a call for preparedness. However, pastors and counselors of all types are often at a loss when dealing with a grieving child. Talking to adults about death and grief is difficult; it's all the more challenging to talk to children and teens. The stakes are high: grieving children are high-risk for substance abuse, promiscuity, depression, isolation, and suicide. Yet, despite this, most of these kids grow up to be normal or exceptional adults. But their chance to become healthy adults increases with the support of a loving community. Supporting grieving children requires intentionality, open communication, and patience. Rather than avoid all conversations on death or pretend like it never happened, normalizing grief and offering support requires us to be in-tune with kids through dialogue as they grapple with questions of “how” and “why.” When listening to children in grief, we often have to embrace the mystery, offer love and compassion, and stick with the basics. The author says, "We don’t have to answer the why and how for them, but we can assure our children that God is with us as we suffer. We can do so by doing good for others and pointing out all of those moments when someone has done something good for us. I believe that most of the time that’s as far as we will get, and that is okay."