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Children's Grief Awareness Day

What is Children's Grief Awareness Day?


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. It provides an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a significant person has in the life of a child, an opportunity to make sure that these children receive the support they need.

 

How can I participate?

The most basic way to participate in Children’s Grief Awareness Day is to have as many people as possible—children and adults—wear blue. Publicity about the reason for wearing blue—to show awareness of grieving children—allows the entire community to know what Children's Grief Awareness Day is about.

Visit the National Children's Grief Awareness Day website for more ideas about how to participate with activities for your whole family.

 

Why raise awareness for grieving children and teens?

Before they graduate from high school, one child out of every 20 children will have a parent die—and that number doesn't include those who experience the death of a brother or sister, a close grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or friend.

Children who have experienced the death of someone important to them often feel like their struggles are invisible to those around them. These children need advocates, letting all know that the death of someone close is the beginning of many weeks, months, and years of finding ways to go on without that special person in their lives, with that person-shaped hole in their hearts.

Children who have experienced the death of a significant person —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.

Grieving children often feel set apart, different from their peers, alone and not understood. 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.

 

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