Learn tools for responding to children’s grief and loss with Heidi Friedel.
It takes a quiet kind of courage to accompany a child who’s grieving.
We adults just want to make their pain go away. But we can’t. 
So, the work of just being with them starts. It’s hard, important work.
In this conversation, Heidi Friedel joins Rhonda Meyers to talk about how grief and loss show up in young children and what they need from the adults in their lives in those moments.
Children experience grief beyond the death of a loved one. It can come from the loss of a caregiver, a routine or even a beloved object. Rhonda explains that because many children don’t have the language to express what they’re feeling yet, their grief can show up in unexpected ways.
[00:15:07] “Grief doesn't always show up like sadness. Loss doesn't always show up like sadness. It sometimes shows up as defiance. It sometimes shows up as [behavioral] regression.”
Guiding children through loss means choosing to be present, connected and communicative. Heidi urges adults to use clear and honest language, acknowledge the child’s feelings and avoid trying to fix their grief.
[00:23:00] “When we deal with any kind of loss, . . . we have to make sure that we're present and that we don't shut ourselves down.”
This conversation is a reminder that when children are grieving, they’re asking if they’re safe to feel the way they’re feeling.

Guiding Young Children through Grief and Loss

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