CHILDREN AND GRIEF
Most young children know about death, even if they don't understand it. Death is a typical theme in cartoons and TV, and some of kid's friends may have just lost friend or a loved one. But, experiencing grief firsthand is an alternate and often confusing process for youngsters.
Children who are having difficult issues with grief and loss may show one or more of these signs:
- an extended time of depression in which the child loses interest in daily activities and occasions
- inability to sleep, loss of appetite, prolonged fear of being alone
- acting a lot younger for an extended period
- excessively imitating the dead person
- believing they are talking to or seeing the deceased family member for an extended timeframe
- repeated statements of wanting to join the dead person
- withdrawal from friends
- drop in school performance
- refusal to attend school
After losing a friend or family member, a child may go from crying one minute to playing the next. His inconsistent moods don't imply that he isn't pitiful or that he has finished grieving; children adapt uniquely in contrast to adults, and playing can be a defense system to keep a child from becoming overpowered. It is additionally normal to feel depressed, liable, on edge, or furious at the person who has passed on or at another person altogether.
Helping children grieve can be troublesome because how they show their grief depends on their degree of development and the relationship they had with the person who died. They may express the thing they are feeling in various manners; humor, behavioral issues, or sleep issues are normal. Their grief may go back and forth and the intensity of their feelings changes.
Every child’s reaction to losing somebody is unique. This can introduce specific difficulties when helping children lament yet it is normal.
