How do i help my child cope with death of his friend?
Your son’s understanding of death is still quite limited. Typically, grief in children consists of “stepping in and out of” the grieving process. This is because they don’t have the capacity to cope with full-on grief. Don’t be surprised if your son’s behaviour changes and/or regresses. He may adopt babyish behaviour, bed wetting, etc, and experience disturbed sleeping and eating patterns. Going to the funeral will be an important part of saying goodbye. Talk to him beforehand about what a funeral is like, explain that people – including him – may get upset, which is perfectly fine. Don’t urge him to be “brave”, “strong”, etc, as the message here is that it’s not okay to be upset and angry. Use art materials, play sand (with an assortment of toys and figures) to allow him to express himself. Don’t attempt to interpret them – they are simply a means of allowing him to externalise complex emotions. There’s a book called “Badger’s Parting Gifts” which is a gentle and sensitive tale of Bad
