Watching your child cope with grief is painful, but especially so when they are grieving the loss of a friend. When an elderly relative dies, it may be difficult to explain to your child, but helping them make sense of the death of a child around their own age is much more complex and challenging. Here are four ways to help your child cope with their loss in healthy ways:

Find a Grief Counselor

Your child will benefit from talking through their feelings with a grief counselor who works specifically with children. A grief counselor provides your child with a neutral, wise, and empathetic figure they can share their fears, sadness, and worries with. The grief counselor will provide your child with ways of thinking about their friend's death that are age-appropriate and helpful. Many child grief counselors make use of stories, artwork, and play to help children express emotions and thoughts they may not be able to articulate in normal conversation.

Aim to Be Reassuring and Calm

While you may be coping with your own feelings of grief and fear after a child's death, it's important that you avoid becoming hysterical or express thoughts of hopelessness and anxiety in front of your child. Your child will look to you as a model for how they should cope, so it's important to be reassuring and loving, but also calm. Let your child know you are there any time they want to talk about what happened, and that it's normal to feel sad and not like themselves for a while after such a big loss.

Be Prepared to Discuss Fears

After the loss of a friend or classmate, it's normal for children to worry that they may also die. Don't completely dismiss these fears, but instead comfort your child and let them know that these tragedies happen very rarely, and that they are safe and are going to live for a long time.

Don't Be Afraid to Have Fun

While your child needs to sort out their feelings about the death, they do not need to do this 24 hours a day. Make sure they know it's okay to still have fun and be a kid, and that this doesn't take away from how much they loved their friend. Planning a few fun activities, like a day at the pool or a family camping trip, is a great way to reassure your child that life is still full of positive experiences, even during dark times.

In following these tips, you will be helping your child process their sadness and grief in healthy and age-appropriate ways. A business like Brown Funeral Home can give you more help.

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