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Essay on The Effects of Grief in Children after a Parent's Death
Unlike adults, children are not opposed to sorrows. They form tough loving bonds with those close to them. Therefore, when they lose a loved one, they suffer feelings and symptoms of grief similar to that of an adult. However, children are quite different in the way they show or express it based upon the stage of development they are in. This can be very confusing to the parent who in most cases is also working to resolve their own personal grief. When a family member dies, children react differently from adults. Preschool children usually see death as temporary and reversible a belief reinforced by cartoon characters that "die" and "come to life" again.
Children between five and nine begin to think more like adults about death, yet they still believe it will never happen to them or anyone they know. Adding to a child's shock and confusion at the death of a brother, sister or parent is the unavailability of other family members, who may be so shaken by grief that they are notable to cope with the normal responsibility of childcare.(Adams, David W.,1995)
Parents should be aware of ordinary childhood responses to a death in the family, as well as danger signals. According to child and adolescent psychiatrists, it is normal during the weeks following the death for some children to feel immediate grief or persist in the belief that the family member is still alive. But long-term denial of the death or avoidance of grief is unhealthy and can later surface in more severe problems. A child who is frightened about attending a funeral should not be forced to go; however, some service or observance is recommended, such as lighting a candle, saying a prayer or visiting a gravesite. Once children accept the death, they are likely to display their feelings of sadness on and off over a long period of time, and often at unexpected moments......
