Worried about 7yr old who's friend past away

[luciemorgan3]

One of my daughters close friend past away a few days ago and I'm worried she's not handling it very well, the school told the class in the morning and my daughter spent the day crying until at least 6 that night then seemed to ok, the next day the school said she had been ok but once at home she wasn't herself very withdrawn, she also wet the bed last night, and she has been the same to day has any one got any thought on how I'm best to handle this?x

I'm sure someone will be along soon with practical advice.

But to me her reaction sounds quite normal. If one of my friends died I would be unlikely to be holding it together as well as she is! Give her lots of cuddles and ask her if she wants to talk about her friend. Is there a funeral or memorial service planned? Maybe there is something at the school that she could write a poem or draw a picture for?

Sorry, probably nothing useful to say but didn't want you to go left unanswered and hopefully someone better will come along soon.

I think the way she is reacting is quite normal and understandable and she needs to grieve as anyone would. If you can get her to talk to you about how she feels and any fears she may have then that might help as children can often worry about their own mortality or that of others when they face death for the first time. Was the child ill? Children can often worry about anyone else who is "poorly" afterwards.

Good luck.

Thanks guys for your replys...I to thought she was acting normal it's just some times you just need other people to confirm your thoughts, I quess I'm just worried about her as it's horrible seeing her hurting and not being able to help.

You may find reading something like "Charlottes Web" can be really helpful in opening up discussions around bereavement. Your DD needs reassurance that it is absolutely fine and very understandable to feel how she is feeling. She may be scared that she or you may die so lots of talking about it can really help. Maybe she would like to write a note to her friend and tie it to a balloon and use this to say goodbye. Children are often really worried about upsetting their parents so will bottle stuff up-providing her with lots of opportunities to grieve/cry/be angry/disbelieving are all really important in the process.
Hope all goes well

Of course you can help! She just needs your love and affection and a chance to talk about how she feels right now. Crying and showing signs of grief is normal, if you see this it doesn't mean that you're not helping IYSWIM.