Children and Grief

It is hard to know what grieving children need. They are often not very vocal about thoughts and feelings on loss. You may wonder if they are grieving at all.

That’s normal. Kids live in the present.

Yes, they are sad and hugely impacted by the loss of a parent, but the way in which they process it may mean they do relatively well in the present.

Each child is different.

Mine have thankfully thrived. They are doing well in school and stay very busy with sports. As much fun as I make of the exhaustive schedule of youth sports these days, I am grateful they have kept us busy.

My kids truly enjoy the sports they play.

Baseball/softball in the summer and hockey in the winter. If they did not want to be involved, I would not make them. But they have each clung to these sports, these routines, their friends and teammates. They keep us running like crazy, but we've made it work. 

Our kids are doing well. As well as one can hope for enduring such a tragedy. 

I'm grateful. 

Next week, I'll start sharing about gifts for grieving children that have helped my kids over the past two years. Perhaps they'll inspire you when tragedy strikes and you're looking for ways to show children that you care.