November 30, 2024

Quote of the Week

"If there ever comes a day where we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever." -- A.A. Milne (Winnie The Pooh)

When Children Lose Someone They Love

With the death of a loved one comes grief — the natural mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and social reaction when a loved one dies. To cope, accept and move forward, kids need time and space in which they can talk about their grief. They also need to develop the resilience to adapt and function despite any change the passing of their loved one has caused in their lives. Building resilience in a young person begins with ongoing connections with adults who care.

"There are two main types of experiences around death – the anticipated death and the sudden, unexpected death. Supporting children who are experiencing grief can be different to supporting adults and often adults — especially close family, community members and educators — can struggle to know how best to support children. While this is just one article on a very big issue, I hope it helps you to be aware of some of the things to be mindful of when children experience the death of someone they love a lot." [read more]

Reading Corner

Title: Cry, Heart, But Never Break
By: Glenn Ringtved
Ages: 3-10

"In this beautifully illustrated picture book, four siblings have been lovingly cared for by their grandmother, but one day she receives a visitor: Death. Instead of having "a heart as dead and black as coal", it turns out Death is kindly, with a heart "red as the most beautiful sunset" and filled with a love of life. In an effort to help the children, he tells them a story about Sorrow and Grief, and how these two brothers end up marrying two sisters, Joy and Delight. The couples live and die together, for they cannot be without one another.

In the end, Death takes the grandmother, but the children remember his wise and beautiful words, "Cry heart, but never break." They live out their lives with good memories of their grandmother and what she meant to them.

I loved this book, and admit I cried like a baby when I read it the first time. Glenn Ringtved (a Danish author, this is the translation of the original book he wrote for his children about 15 years ago) has done a wonderful job crafting a story that deals with such a serious and sensitive topic. There's no shying away from the reality of the grandmother's death, and the sorrow it brings the children. But he also shows beautifully how death is not a monster, but a natural part of life, and how our hearts can bear up under the weight of loss. Charlotte Pardi's illustrations are a perfect match." - Amazon Reviewer

Be the Change

"A child’s first experience of bereavement – whether they are dealing with the loss of a parent, grandparent or even a beloved pet – can be a confusing and scary time. Watching these kids' movies about death could help prepare them for loss and understand their grief a bit better."