We are approaching the holidays and Marianne is talking about children’s grief at the holidays and how to help them through what can be a confusing time for them. We offer many tips to help make the holidays a special time for your child in the face of death and grief. For many grieving children, remembering the past makes hope for the future possible. With our love, attention, instillation of safety and hope, kids can learn to understand their grief and grow to be emotionally healthy adults, bringing these family traditions to their own families for years to come.
Helping Grieving Children
Marianne shared tips from an article by Heather Stang. We also have some great resources linked below. We also got to interview Miranda Featherstone, a social worker, author, and mother who talks about grief and children. writer and social worker whose fiction has appeared in the Saint Ann’s Review. She has written about how to raise children without fear, even during the pandemic. She lives with her family in Rhode Island. She authored a recent publication in the New York Times titled “Talking to Your Kids About Grief Is Painful. And You Have to Do It.” She shares ideas about how to talk about death with children.
Resources:
- Children’s book: Everyone Dies and yes, it is normal
- Helping Grieving Children During the Holidays – Pinterest Blog
- Supporting Grieving Children During the Holidays – TAPS
- Talking to Your Kids About Grief Is Painful. And You Have to Do It. – New York Times
Want to learn more about what children understand about death and how to talk to them? Here are some of our previous episodes to help:
- S1E19: Helping children with loss of a grandparent – with Tracy Harding
- S1E35: Children’s Grief – How Children Perceive Death
- S1E37: Children’s Grief – Grieving at Different Ages
- Marianne talks about how to talk to children about death as guest
Recipe of the Week
Since we are focusing on children for this episode, we decided to share a traditional and easy recipe you can make with your kids. Remember the Christmas wreaths made using corn flakes and cinnamon candies. They’re fun to make and eat. How can you go wrong with a mixture of butter, marshmallows, and cornflakes? Get this Christmas Wreath recipe here!
