Children and Grief: Helping Your Child Understand Death

by Joey O'Connor

Overview

What people are saying about Children and Grief...

"A great resource for teaching kids the truth about death and dying." - Steve Arterburn, New Life Ministries
"A must-have book for anyone explaining the reality of death to children." - Dave Dravecky, Perseverance
"Joey O'Connor writes passionately and purposefully to guide parents and guardians as they help their children deal with life's most painful events." - Russell Friedman, The Grief Recovery Outreach

"This is a book written for you and your children," explains author and Grief Recovery specialist, Joey O'Connor. "It initiates a conversation on a difficult subject most people prefer to avoid. It is about people like you and me struggling to figure out what they really believe when the unbelievable has happened. And then wondering, 'What in the world am I going to say to my kids? How am I going to explain what just happened in our family and what I believe about the God who saw this whole thing happen?'"

Raised in a Southern Californian family who has been in the funeral business for over 125 years, Joey brings a compassionate and intimate knowledge of the complex issues surrounding grief and loss. In Children and Grief, Joey teaches you how to ...

• explain the physical reality of death and terminal illness
• answer your children's questions in specific, age-appropriate ways
• help your child grieve by supporting his or her unique emotions
• provide a sense of security amid disorienting events such as funerals
• how to begin a life-long conversation, ranging from small children to teenagers

Children and Grief offers parents a way to approach tough questions with honesty, tenderness, and hope. O'Connor shows how to teach children to trust God, celebrate life, and have hope in the face of death.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798991258524
Publisher:	Your Personal Style
Publication date:	04/15/1997
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Joey O'Connor is the author of several books for couples, parents, and young adults. He has appeared on several television programs to educate parents about how to discuss life and death issues with their children, as well as dozens of national radio programs to help couples learn how to improve their relationships. Joey serves Coast Hills Community Church in the spiritual formation department and lives in San Clemente, California.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	9
	Introduction	11
1	Can You Help Me Help My Son? Looking at Grief and Loss from a New Perspective	19
2	The Beginning of a Lifelong Conversation: Communicating Facts, Feelings, and Faith	35
3	What Can I Do? Helping Children, Loved Ones, and Yourself in the Grieving Process	51
4	The Facts about Death: The D-Word and What You Can Do about It	69
5	Grandpa Did Not Go Away on a Long Trip: Telling Your Child the Truth and Avoiding Religious Euphemisms	83
6	If You Weren't Grieving, Something Would Really Be Wrong: Good Grief for Children	105
7	A Bridge of Hope: Building Heaven in Your Child's Heart	123
8	Homeland Security: Dealing with Fears of Death, Terrorism, and War	143
9	Will There Be Different Colors in Heaven? Honest Questions from Inquisitive Kids	159
10	Mommy's Very Sick: Living and Dying with a Terminal Illness	177
11	Nobody Gets Outta Here Alive: Talking with Your Teenager	193
12	Making Meaning, Making Memories: Celebrating Life with Children	209
	Epilogue	225
Appendix A	Questions and Answers about the Funeral Process	227
Appendix B	Grief Resources	241
	Notes	251