Helping Your Grandchildren Deal with the Death of a Parent

Handling death is always a difficult process. Dealing with your grief stretches your emotional resources, and handling details such as a funeral and burial requires time and planning. For some grandparents, the death of an adult child also means that you must accept responsibility for raising grandchildren.

The stress of so many changes at once can be overwhelming for the entire family. Adults often do not know how to explain a death to children, and are unprepared to help children handle their own grief over the loss of a parent. But with sensitivity and compassion, you can help your grandchildren learn to cope with the death, move through the stages of grief, and find productive ways to express their emotions.

For more information follow this link:

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/chfd/CHFD-E-59-04.pdf

From Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension