The grieving child
Children grieve very differently than adults. If we’re to help them, we have to follow their rules.
Key to understanding grief, explains Sesame Street in Communities, is that children grieve differently than adults. The video uses eating an apple as an analogy. We adults usually eat an apple continuously, until we’re finished. A child will take a few bites, go off and do something, come back for a few more bites, and go off again. And that’s how adults and children approach grief, too.
If we’re to help young ones through their grieving, it’s on their terms.
Grief, of course, can run the gamut. A beloved pet, a grandparent, or the hard-to-understand news of a school shooting.
Sesame Street in Communities offers thoughtful grief resources for parents and providers alike.
