KAREN GROENEWEG Certified Child Life Specialist
Emergency Department & Critical Care Unit Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre
a safe, supportive person present if they need a break or feel overwhelmed. 6. Prepare children and give information along the way. This helps to promote better coping over the long-term. 7. Use natural opportunities to talk about life and death. If a goldfish dies talk about what death means, don’t just secretly buy a new one. Children and adults tend to express grief differently. Both experience a wide range of emotions related to the loss or separation in a relationship. But children tend to grieve in chunks; they experience short, intense bursts of emotion one minute and can be happily playing the next. ”For adults grief is like wading through this enormous river whereas for children it’s puddle jumping, but when they’re in that puddle it’s no different to the river” (Julie Strokes, Winston’s Wish) Our job is not to protect kids from the harsh realities of the world, but rather give them the skills to navigate difficult circumstances. “The greatest gift you can give your children is not protection from change, loss, pain or stress, but the confidence and tools to cope and grow with all that life has to offer them” (Dr. Wendy Harpham)