practical ways to help children experiencing grief

Prior to my career as a mother, I was a social worker and specialized in child and adolescent therapy. I understand the developmental capabilities of children reagarding loss and grief. But as a mother, I stuggle with the reality of how death will enter our lives and effect our children. Knowing that anything concrete and tangible is helpful for a child, I decided to make every effort to help make memories of Amelia alive in our home.

I began to plan ways to keep Amelia's memory alive and found many beautiful resources for parents who have lost a child. However, many of these things are not child friendly. I quickly realized that my need (as a grieveing mother) to protect Amelia's memory may over ride my willingness to share some of these fragile things with my children. I began to ask myself, "How devestated would I be if something of Amelia's were ruined or damaged?" How could I not want to preserve the more fragile memtoes of Amelia for years to come.

So, I began to search for things to do with my children in order to keep Amelia alive, in some way, for them. I became frustrated with the lack of practical and tangible suggestions for children experiencing a loss. I began to brainstorm and make lists of things that I felt were appropriate for any child, regardless of age, who experiences a death. Some are ideas I have collected from other sources while most are a result of things Steven and I came up with for our children. I hope that these ideas will be helpful to you and your family.