"A time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to get and a time to lose;" Ecclesiastes 3:4,6

Grief is defined as an intense mental suffering or distress over affliction; a sharp hurting sorrow.  That sorrow can be compounded in a parent as they cope with watching their child experience the suffering and afflication of a loss.  Many parents feel helpless in removing the child's pain.

Parents can greatly support a grieving child by helping them navigate the journey of grief.  God has designed within all of us a process for the body, mind, and soul to handle the distress and impact of a loss.

The grieving process is a natural reaction of strong feelings of intense emotions and part of healing is learning how to live with a loss.  Children need to experience their grief in order to make sense of the sorrowful events.  Any child old enough to laugh and to experience pleasure, can also experience grief and trauma.  Grief, in the eyes of child, is what they experience; not what they know.