Comforting a Child Mourning a Friend

Seeing your child dealing with the loss of a friend or classmate can be very upsetting. You may not know how to best help them get through that loss and many times, parents end up doing the wrong thing. If that is something you are worried about and you want to be sure that you can do everything possible to help your child grieve correctly, there are some tips that providers of cremation services in Ocean Springs, MS want you to know.

One of the things that you want to do first is to avoid pretending like the loss did not happen. Many parents think that by sticking to a routine and pretending nothing has happened, they can help their child get over the loss. That is not the case. In fact, pretending that everything is normal can make it more difficult for your child to get through the loss. They need to acknowledge what happened so they can come to terms with it.

Another thing to remember is to let your child be sad. People do not want to see their children crying and that means they will do everything possible to distract them from the loss. That is not what you want. You want them to know they can express themselves and that it is perfectly normal to feel grief. That can make a big difference as they come to terms with death.

You also want to give your child the chance to go to the funeral service. If they want to attend the service, you definitely want to let them do so. A funeral service can be as beneficial for a child as it can be for an adult, providing the catharsis they need to get closure. Remember not to force your child to go to the service if they do not want to.

You want to also consider that if you see your child is really struggling with the loss, you may want to reach out to experts for guidance. There are grief counselors who work exclusively with children to help them get over a loss, so it can be a good idea to reach out to them.

If your child is dealing with the loss of a classmate or friend, you want to encourage them to express what they feel so they can come to terms with it. It is not an easy thing to do, but you want to let them be sad while offering your support. Be sure to give them the choice of whether or not they want to go to the service. If you are not sure about this or if you want to know more, you can reach out to an Ocean Springs, MS cremation services provider like us. Our team is ready to answer all of the questions you may have about helping a grieving child so do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us right now or you can visit us today to speak with an expert.