This episode builds on our conversation with Dr. Atle Dyregrov on the topic of talking with children about death, where we focused mainly on death as a general concept and navigating the first few days after the death. Grief therapist Katie Lear has a new book called A Parent's Guide to Managing Childhood Grief and focuses on the much longer period of mourning that follows the death of someone close to a child.
We look at:
Books Katie recommends for reading with young children
When Dinosaurs Die
Ida Always
The Endless Story
The Dead Bird
Goodbye Mousie
Jump to highlights
(03:13) Important topics in Katie Lear’s book, A Parent's Guide to Managing Childhood Grief
(04:43) Understanding what grief looks like in children and in adult
(07:38) The four tasks that children need to work through during the grieving process
(11:39) Useful activities in supporting children in the first stages of grief
(14:03) Katie recommends picture books about death that are written in a way that children can understand and that help normalize the feelings associated with the grieving process
(15:49) Should we tell our children the truth about a parent's death?
(17:45) Feelings a child experiences when someone close to them dies
(18:54) How does displaying a parent's grief to their child affect their behavior
(21:24) Understanding our child’s commotion or acting out when they’re in the grieving process
(24:11) What is Magical Thinking and how it’s connected to a child’s development
(29:16) How Magical Thinking works in adults who are grieving
(30:24) What is the environment like for children who are adjusting after a loved one has gone
(32:01) Family bonding activities...