Grieving

[*PL*]

my dd, 10, who I've said already is very senstive and emotional, wears her heart on her sleeve, is grieving right now for her cousin.


Her cousin was more like an uncle to her (he's 42), and he LOVED her. He spoiled her, adored her and she saw him weekly, or more for the past 2 years.

Is there anything besides support and reassuring that I can do? Or do I just let the grieving period process as normal?

[charliechan]

Your DD sounds like me at that age. I lost my mom when I was 9 and I had so much love and support from my family and family friends, that was a great help. Maybe just making sure she understands what happened could help. I didn't get that opportunity of understanding the whys (my mom was killed in a robbery at the store she worked in) because there really weren't any. But that's been the hardest thing for me is not really knowing why someone would do that.

But with your nephew, hopefully you can explain what happened so she can understand things. I hope that made sense... I'm so sorry you guys are having to go through this. :hug2:

[ImARebel]

I was 11 when I lost my dad. I still have days when it bothers me, usually around big events. I think talking to her about it and maybe allowing her to talk to a grief counselor might help. I remember feeling like I had to be strong for my mom. I remember trying to make myself cry. That was 27 years ago....

[KIDPOWER]

My heart is with your family during this very sad time.

We have an article with a number of ideas about Helping Children Regain Their Emotional Safety After a Tragedy:
http://www.kidpower.org/ARTICLES/Regain-Emotional-Safety.html

A wonderful resource for grief support is a group called kara-grief.org. Even if you are not in the same area, they have some excellent tips for what to do and not do when someone is grieving about a loss, as well as useful articles. You might look for a grief support group for children in your area. Hospice in some communities provides grief counseling for children.