| About Children’s Grief Awareness Day |
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Children’s Grief Awareness Day is observed every year on the third Thursday in November (the Thursday before the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving). This time of year is a particularly appropriate time to support grieving children because the holiday season is often an especially difficult time after a death.
Children’s Grief Awareness Day seeks to bring attention to the fact that often support can make all the difference in the life of a grieving child.
In 2013, Children’s Grief Awareness Day will be Thursday, November 21.
Children’s Grief Awareness Day provides an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has in the life of a child, an opportunity to make sure that these children receive the support they need.
Children and grief: Before they graduate from high school, one child out of every 20 will have a parent die — and that number doesn’t include those who experience the death of a brother or sister, a close grandparent, aunt or uncle, or friend.
Children who have had someone die — especially a close family member — can feel the loss forever. They eventually go back to school. They might pick some activities back up. They certainly look “normal.” And yet there’s still that hole inside.
It often gets worse during the holiday season when the already hard feelings of longing and pain become intensified and when memories of past holidays contrast sharply with the loss of the present holiday.
This is a time of year when the grieving child can feel even more set apart, different from their peers, more alone than ever.
Every school and every community has children who have experienced some type of loss. Even if they keep their loss and experience to themselves, there are many children who are grieving among us.
These children can be helped to not feel so alone. Children and adults together can show their support for grieving children and show their awareness of what grieving children might be going through by participating in Children’s Grief Awareness Day.
Counselors from Hospice Cleveland County will have information available at the following locations on Thursday, November 21st from 8:30am - 10:30am and 3:00pm - 5:00pm.
For more information call 704-487-4677 or visit ChildrensGriefAwarenessDay.com.
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