Grief Series Part 2: Supporting Bereaved Children with Michele Benyo
The loss of a child can be devastating, incomprehensible, and if siblings are involved, can be extremely hard to navigate. Parents often wonder how they can show up for their children after the loss of a child.
This isn’t an area of specialization of mine, but I have been able to learn from people who do this work for a living. They have some tips for folks wondering how to best support grieving parents and siblings.
Recognize that grief is normal. Feeling sad is ok.
Talk about your emotions and what you are feeling and be open about it with children.
Recognize that grief is a process.
Admit that we are going through this and that we will get through it
Kids have big feelings and they need to be acknowledged for what they are feeling
Little ones grieve differently and that grief moves with them through life. It is important to recognize that the way we explain grief to kids and the messages we give them can result in an unhealthy grieving process. Parents can benefit from understanding that grief isn't this thing to avoid. In my podcast, Michele Benyo, shares ways to approach these difficult subjects and big feelings with children.
Michele Benyo helps families heal and live forward with grief after the death of their child. With the Good Grief Parenting Approach parents get in touch with their parenting wisdom so they can be confident that they are helping their bereaved young child grieve well and can be hopeful about a future for their family bright with possibilities and even joy.
What You Will Learn:
Recognizing how little ones grieve and how a sibling loss affects them
Grief is good
Tell your child when you're missing this person- open that conversation
What children need is information, true and child appropriate - honest information
Kids have big feelings that need to be acknowledge
Sometimes you can't make them feel better - they need to understand that you can go through the emotion together even if there is no way to make the big feelings go away
Modeling how to take care our ourselves - empowering agency
Notice the way we talk about death
Making sure they understand this isn't the their fault
Specific tips for how to support kids and talk them through grief of any kind
Listen to the full podcast here.
Thank you for connecting,
Dr. Laura Anderson
Dr. Laura S. Anderson specializes in educating and supporting families, as well as clinicians who support transracial adoptive families, across the globe to overcome barriers, derive strength from their differences, and thrive. She is a dynamic advocate for multiracial families and a strong advocate for supporting "third culture" children and families who may need support with the stressors associated with living out of their countries of origin and kids navigating gender and diversity.
Contact Dr. Anderson here.
