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What Children Need When They Grieve: The Four Essentials: Routine, Love, Honesty, and Security
GIVE YOUR CHILDREN WHAT THEY NEED MOST
When Julia Wilcox Rathkey lost her husband, her three children lost their father. Within hours, it became sharply clear that each child--a twelve-year-old daughter and twin ten-year-old sons--would grieve the loss in a radically different way. While one harbored anger, another experienced denial, and the third was gripped with fear. Rathkey quickly determined that each youngster would require a different response from the adults in their lives, particularly from her. But despite the array of emotions and reactions, Rathkey arrived at four essentials that each child would need: routine, love, honesty, and security. These four concepts, however simple, are crucial for those who want to successfully guide their children through one of the most difficult passages they may face in life: the loss of a loved one.
What Children Need When They Grieve explores:
• The scope of a child's reactions to death, including grief and fear
• Advice on how to talk with your child, and how to recognize their need for privacy
• What other adults can do to help, and what they should refrain from doing
• Concise and to-the-point advice about your child's daily routine, at home and at school
Written with compassion and the knowledge that comes from the experience of loss, designed not to overwhelm with too much information, and with an introduction by an expert in childhood bereavement, What Children Need When They Grieve offers strategies, support, and comfort for grieving families.
When Julia Wilcox Rathkey lost her husband, her three children lost their father. Within hours, it became sharply clear that each child--a twelve-year-old daughter and twin ten-year-old sons--would grieve the loss in a radically different way. While one harbored anger, another experienced denial, and the third was gripped with fear. Rathkey quickly determined that each youngster would require a different response from the adults in their lives, particularly from her. But despite the array of emotions and reactions, Rathkey arrived at four essentials that each child would need: routine, love, honesty, and security. These four concepts, however simple, are crucial for those who want to successfully guide their children through one of the most difficult passages they may face in life: the loss of a loved one.
What Children Need When They Grieve explores:
• The scope of a child's reactions to death, including grief and fear
• Advice on how to talk with your child, and how to recognize their need for privacy
• What other adults can do to help, and what they should refrain from doing
• Concise and to-the-point advice about your child's daily routine, at home and at school
Written with compassion and the knowledge that comes from the experience of loss, designed not to overwhelm with too much information, and with an introduction by an expert in childhood bereavement, What Children Need When They Grieve offers strategies, support, and comfort for grieving families.
- GenresParenting
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 30, 2009
One of my most favorite books ever because it wasn't written by anyone with any qualifications other than experience. She wasn't a doctor, didn't go out and study, but she lived through the death of her husband and wrote a heartfelt book about what did and didn't work for her family in coping. Even if you don't have time to read the whole book, she has a point by point outline at the end of each chapter which is very helpful if you are skimming or reviewing.
July 29, 2011
Rathkey has written a sensitive guide that reveals the variety of ways that grief manifests itself in children and how adults can help. Not only is the insight provided useful for dealing with grieving children, but can also be extended to the adult experience.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews