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HELPING CHILDREN GRIEVE, HELPING CHILDREN HEAL
Today as never before, doctors have documented evidence to demonstrate
that grieving can, in fact, make children sick. Health issues such
as skin problems, cardiovascular disease and even cancer can often
track their onset to a painful event translated as grief. Traumatic
loss is so abhorrent to the mind that children often have difficulty
coping. Children today have numerous opportunities to distract themselves
from grieving properly; i.e. video games, computers and television.
Dr. Gail Gross, a nationally recognized family and child development
expert offers tips for parents and caregivers to help children deal
with grievances in a healthy manner.
Dr. Gross’s Tips for Nurturing Bereaved Children
- Grieving children must get plenty of rest,
eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water. Exercise
is also very important; however, remember that fatigue
is often a characteristic of both
loss and depression.
- Encourage a grieving child to express and
vent shock, anger and fear. This will help the
child stay connected
to life and can re-establish trust in what
has become an unsafe world.
- Children should be allowed to participate
in the rituals of saying goodbye. This
will give them a sense of realty
and closure to this unthinkable event.
- Parents or caregivers of grief-stricken
children should encourage their child
to participate in weekly therapeutic
groups with other children who have
encountered the same kind of loss.
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Dr. Gail Gross is a nationally recognized expert on juvenile education and development issues, and an advocate for the interests of children
. She is a host of her own radio show "Let's Talk."
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