Helping a Child Through Grief is Easier With These Helpful Ideas

Posted on March 6th, 2023 by under Funeral Home
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funeral homes in Royal Oak, MI

Each individual has their way of grieving and especially with children. Even after utilizing one of the funeral homes in Royal Oak, MI, for memorable services, it can still feel like a complicated process to try to understand. Finding ways to help the child process the grief successfully is crucial because there can be a large amount of confusion, especially if they have never experienced it before. So, let’s look at a few different ways you can help them through the process.

Acknowledge the Loss

A child processing grief may not give typical responses or tell anyone they are suffering. So it’s crucial to ensure you don’t wait for them to come to you with questions or express their feelings. If the child has recently gone through a loss, assume that they are grieving and pay extra attention to any child who has recently experienced a death.

Reassure them

Grief can feel overwhelming if the child has never experienced it before, so it’s crucial to offer them extra support, reassurance, and love as they process their emotions. Taking time to explain the grief process and let them know that it’s OK to feel the way they do can help them get more comfortable with the grief process moving forward.

Use Appropriate Tools

Each age is going to process the loss differently, so you also want to use tools and language that are age appropriate. There are many helpful resources available, from books to movies. You can also consider talking to a professional grief counselor specializing in children’s grief to help get more insight and support.

Help them Create a Grief Ritual

Grief rituals can be a great way to help individuals process pain and move through emotions, so consider helping your child create one that feels meaningful to them. Some recommendations include the following:

  • Reading a poem or story about the loss
  • Having a small memorial with friends or family
  • Participating in an activity, they enjoyed with the deceased

Use Patience

Another crucial part of helping a child through the process is practicing patience for their experience. They may not understand what they’re feeling or going through and may have many questions about death or constantly talk about the person. Each time they share, it can help them cope with the loss, so be sure to give them as much time as they need to work through their pain, and after time they will have less need to talk about the deceased as much.

funeral homes in Royal Oak, MI

Our Team is Here to Offer You Exceptional Services

Not all children will tell you that they are having an experience and can be very good at hiding their emotions and feelings. So, if they come to you, be sure to listen to what they’re saying because this can give them a healthy relationship with grief. And if you need a trusted team of experts, we are here to help. Our team is one of the trusted funeral homes in Royal Oak, MI, and we’ve been offering exceptional services since 1906, so contact us today For more information.

Michael Lope

Co-Owner, Funeral Director Michael J. Lope is a licensed funeral director and co-owner of the Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home. Mike attended American Academy McAllister Institute for mortuary school in New York City. Mike was licensed in 2006 and began working with his family at Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home. He currently works at both family funeral homes in Utica and Royal Oak. In his time off Michael enjoys golfing, skiing, hiking and camping. He is a parishioner at Holy Name Catholic Church with his wife Christine and his two children Andrew and Ashlyn. He and his family are committed to maintaining a family owned and operated funeral home that is a progressive and innovative leader in burial and cremation services.

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