Children Coping With Grief And Loss
Why isn’t daddy the same? He used to play with me before he left. Now he’s angry all the time and he ignores me. I miss him.”
“My mom has a blast injury. She doesn’t remember things as much anymore and she lost her arm. We all try and help her now. It scares me to look at her arm.”
“We were all watching television, me, my mom, and my brothers when the doorbell rang. It was two marines in uniform. I heard mom start to scream. I knew dad was never coming home. I was cold and scared. How come my hero isn’t coming home?”
How do you begin to help a child to cope with grief and loss related to military service?
Even though children may be aware that death is a possibility, what might a child think and feel and how might that child behave when dealing with the loss of a parent?
For this Discussion, review this week’s resources, and consider the answers to those questions.
By Day 4
Post two common reactions of children dealing with loss of a parent. Through the lens of your specialization, what considerations might you need to keep in mind as you provide support for children coping with grief and loss? Recommend one strategy for children coping with grief and loss of a military parent. Provide a scholarly resource to support your recommendation.
