Foundation for Grieving Children, Inc

Families can encounter physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, financial and geographic upheaval after a loved one's death. Children need nurturing, attention, love and stability during the grieving process, but unfortunately, often their parents and other family members are dealing with their own grief and cannot always be emotionally present for their young ones. When support services for the bereaved are present in the community, families can gain strength by learning to grieve well together. But some children who do not have the love, nurturing and attention they need after a loved one's death, will seek to find comfort in wrong places. Our youngest children, who do not have the language skills to express their anger and frustration, may become introverted, depressed, act out, start fights, refuse to leave the presence of a surviving parent, or struggle to attend classes and complete schoolwork. For teens and young adults, addictions to alcohol, drugs, and pornography, promiscuous sex leading to untimely and sometimes unwanted pregnancies, criminal behavior including gang violence, self-mutilation, and dropping out of school, are just some of the after affects of neglected grief. Frequently, these young survivors run households, pay bills, comfort one or both parents, and often put their own grief on hold while the parent or parents are grieving. Then, some time later, when the parents are feeling stronger, the roles reverse and the teen will begin to experience...