Answering questions about children and grief
One in five children will experience the death of someone close to them before they graduate high school. Adults often don’t know how to talk about or what to say to other adults about death Communicating with children about dying and their feelings of sadness, confusion, and loss is even more difficult.
Most of the time it’s because the adult wants to protect the child, thinking it may frighten the child. But is that the right way to go?
This episode of Smart Talk spotlights children and grief.
We’ll answer questions like how the grief of a child is different than an adult’s, at what age should children be told about a death, should children attend funerals, and when grief isn’t normal.
Joan McGeary and Allison Mahon
Appearing on the program are Joan McGeary, a Child Life Specialist at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and Allison Mahon, Program Coordinator at Drew’s Hope.
The conversation continues Monday night as WITF presents “I’m Here with You: A Community Forum on Children and Grief.” The forum is designed to help teachers, families, and caregivers support children and understand their grief process.
For more information regarding support programs for children in grief:
