One of the toughest things to tell a child is that someone close to them has died — especially when we are grieving too. We can struggle to find the right words, and worry about how the loss will affect them. But while grief can scare and surprise us, there is no right or wrong way to grieve, or an appropriate amount of emotion to feel.

This week at childmind.org, we’re offering resources on helping kids cope with grief. In a short documentary video, families open up about their own experiences with death and grief, and what’s helped them get through it. We also share advice from our experts on how to tell a child a loved one has died and whether to bring a young child to a funeral. We explain “traumatic grieving,” which affects kids whose parent has died by suicide, and specific ways to provide support. And we have advice on how to tell if a child who isn’t bouncing back might be struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder or related symptoms.

– Molly Hagan, Staff Writer | ✉