This is my Dad, Nicholas Argiro. He died on November 18th, 2020 from Covid-19. To say it's been awful, is not really fully expressing how horrendous and heartbreaking his death has been on my family, especially my children. I am going to write some tips on how to help your child grieve a loss of any kind, in honor of my wonderful, loving, caring and fabulous father. Tip
Let your child know it's ok to be sad. They just had a big loss in their lives and it's ok and normal to feel sad and to cry.
Grief Activity
Have your child draw a picture of themselves and the person who they are grieving. Tell them they can draw (or paint, if you are brave) themselves doing an activity they used to do with them. When they are done with the picture, ask them questions about the picture to help them identify and speak about their feelings. The more they speak about the feelings, the better they will feel.
Examples of Questions to Ask:
Who is in the picture? (You probably know, but give them an opportunity to explain the picture to you)
Where are you in this picture?
Who else is with you both?
What are you feeling in this picture?
After you ask your child each question, really listen to their answers. Pay attention to their body language and see if they are feeling happier or more upset by discussing the picture. If they are feeling happier about discussing the picture, you can find photos of them together and ask they the same questions from above. If you feel they are getting more upset about discussing the picture, try a different activity with them. Everyone grieves differently which also means, what will help one feel better, won't always work for another.
Grief Activity
Have your child close their eyes and picture the person whom they are grieving. Ask them to sit quietly with their eyes closed (if they feel comfortable) and after a minute or so, ask them if they have a clear picture in their head of the person? Once they do, tell them to write a letter to them telling them anything they would want that person to know. If they are comfortable reading it to you, that would be a great way to have more discussions about how they are feeling, but if they don't, just tell them to fold it up and put it somewhere safe and whenever they miss that person, they can write a letter to them and/or write down how they are feeling at that moment.
A lot of times, when a child is grieving, they want to be listened to and know it's ok to be sad or not to be sad. Whatever they are feeling is ok. There are no right or wrong feelings.
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