There is a Brighter Side Speech

The death of a parent is one of the most difficult obstacles that a child will ever face. It is not an everyday situation that is normal for a child to face. However, it has a great impact on the child’s life. Stated in the article “Investigation of Bereavement Period Effects After Loss of Parents on Children and Adolescents Losing Their Parents”, “…states that a child who loses one or both of his/her parents not only feels sad but also experiences a serious confusion in his/her life and may tend to face psychological problems in their future life”(Karakartal 38). It is a long journey for a child to accept the fact that their parent has passed and to move forward. In many cases, a child may never move on and to become depressed or to cause self-harm. When a child experiences death, many look for comfort from family and friends. However, friends and family do not know how to comfort these children due to the fact many feel clueless. Furthermore, many counselors do not understand how grieving differs from each age group. Also do not know what types of methods can be used when to help a child’s grief. Knowing what advice is helpful, knowing the grieving process in different age groups, and knowing the impact that the loss of a parent can have is the key to help children accept that their parent has passed and to move forward.

 According to the article , “Bereaved Adults’ Evaluations Of Grief Management Messages: Effects Of Message Person Centeredness, Recipient Individual Differences, And Contextual Factors”, “…grief, along with its associated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, is one of the most powerful emotions that humans experience, so research examining how communication affects grief may afford considerable insight about how messages can influence emotional states, as well as how emotions influence the processing and outcomes of messages” (Rack Burleson  Bodie 399). The results of this research showed that the most helpful advice used were the ones that categorized as “being there”, rather than the advice that suppressed the person that is grieving feelings. The “being there” advice included “I am here for you”, “If you need company, I am here for you”, and “I am nearby if you need me.” Advice that suppressed the person that is grieving feelings included, “You should keep busy”, “You must get on with your life”, and “When you feel bad you should exercise.”

According to the article “Helping Bereaved Children and Adolescents: Strategies and Implications for Counselors”, “Children at different developmental levels perceive death differently. An understanding of these differences is essential if we are to effectively help children understand and cope with their grief” (Morgan, Roberts, 206). For instance, preschool children (age 3-6), tend to ask questions about the loved one who has passed, which includes questions about biological functions. Also, they believe that death is only temporary and the loved one will return shortly. When grieving a loved one, teenagers tend to take risk to near death actions and wonder what happens if they die. Knowing the grieving process for each age group will assist counselors on the techniques that are needed with working with grieving children and young adults. For example, young clients that are having difficulty expressing their emotions, drawings can be used to express these emotions. This will allow “a more open-ended unfolding of issues.”

In the article, “Young people’s risk of suicide attempts in relations to parental death: a population-based register study”, “Some studies have found that loss of a parent may also be a risk factor for suicide attempts in adolescents” (Jakobsen, Christiansen, 176). Although children, who have lost a parent tend to show that they have accepted what has happened, many do not, and may attempt self-harm such as suicide. It is important to know what trajectory that a child may take if they have struggle with their grieving because in order to come up to a solutions to a problem, we need to identify the risk to our problem so that it can be prevented.

In order to assist a child to accept that their parent has passed on and to move forward, others need to know what advice is helpful, the different grieving process for each age group, and knowing the impact that the loss of a parent can have. At the time when a child is grieving for their parent, it is most crucial for others to express that they will “be there.” Each age group expresses their grief in different ways, and it is essential for counselors to know and to understand the age groups. With this knowledge, this will allow them to determine what strategies that is most affective to help a child’s or young adult’s grief. However, many children have difficulties when coping for the loss of their parent and may attempt suicidal actions. Many have the difficulty to comfort a child who is grieving for their parent, because many feel puzzled on how to assist these children. If others had more knowledge on the subject, then more children would be more accepting of their parent(s) death.